The Delightful (And Disastrous) Wedding of Rose and Scorpius
by HP-Forever-XX
Summary: First spin-off story of the multichap fic 'Rose and Scorpius: A Forbidden Love.' Roughly two years after leaving Hogwarts, and after five years' worth of passion, torment, heartbreak, and love, Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy are tying the knot, in a wedding ceremony that promises to be memorable in more ways than one...
1. The Prologue

_**Disclaimer:**_ _Oh, how I wish I was JK Rowling! Alas, I am not, and therefore do not own any of the characters, settings etc. Unless stated otherwise, everything belongs to her!_

* * *

 **Chapter 1 – The Prologue**

Throughout his life, Scorpius Malfoy had been scared on many occasions.

He had been scared on his first day of Hogwarts. Would he fit in? Would the other students like him and respect him? What if he wasn't good at magic? And what if, God forbid, he wasn't in Slytherin, thus meeting his family's expectations?

He had been scared when he'd befriended Albus Potter, and further scared when he'd fallen in love with Rose Weasley. What would his fellow Slytherins say? What would his _parents_ say?

He had been scared during his first Quidditch match as Slytherin Seeker, scared the first time he'd gotten detention, scared when he'd first told Rose how he felt, and scared so much he was actually trembling when he first kissed her.

He had been scared when their forbidden relationship went public. He was scared to face his friends in Slytherin, his foes in Gryffindor, scared to confront his outraged mother, and downright _terrified_ when he'd met Rose's parents for the first time.

He'd been scared when he'd faced public scandal, the threat of Azkaban (no, really), the temporary breakup of his relationship, all the confusion of a love triangle he'd never anticipated, and a future that was suddenly unclear to him.

He had been scared when he'd embarked on an adventure, full of danger and mystery, and faced war, and betrayal, and _death._ Not his, of course, but that of his mother's.

He had been scared to attend the funeral of the woman who had brought him into this world, and for the most part, done her best to protect him from the dangers it posed, and he had been even more scared to face a world, and a future, where there would always be a huge hole ripped in it, where she should have been.

And he had been scared to embrace a life outside of Hogwarts, away from the comfort and security it posed, facing a new career as a Healer, a new start – a new _life_.

So yes, it was safe to say that Scorpius Malfoy had experienced his fair share of fear. He was not a Gryffindor, and despite Rose's objections, considered himself a self-proclaimed coward. Sometimes his fear had been irrational, unnecessary, and downright unjustified. And sometimes it had been exactly the opposite.

But one thing was for certain:

As Scorpius Malfoy stood on the steps that led up to Mr and Mrs Weasley's front door, approximately two years after he and Rose had left Hogwarts (and had been steadily dating for the past three), with his heart on his sleeve, and his fist poised by the knocker, preparing to ask them for their permission to ask for their daughter's hand in marriage, he had never been more scared in his entire life.

* * *

 ** _Author's Note:_** _Yesss, Rose and Scorpius are back ;)_

 _This is the first spin-off story (not a sequel) from my 200 chapter ScoRose story 'Rose and Scorpius: A Forbidden Love' - which I know some of you have been desperately awaiting. If you haven't read the original story, some of the references and characters might be a bit confusing, so it certianly helps if you've read the original, but at the same time, if you can keep up with it, I'm sure it can read fairly well as a stand-alone ScoRose story. Context shouldn't be too great an issue, but if it is, I apologise, and I'm warning you now that it might be._

 _Okay, so when I concluded 'A Forbidden Love,' I expressed an interest in writing a ScoRose Wedding one-shot, but you know me, I couldn't keep myself from making it a bit longer ;) So, if all goes to plan, this will be a 10-chapter story, with one chapter being uploaded every Friday, starting today (October 2nd). The following chapters will be a lot longer than this one, don't worry - this is, effectively, just a prologue to set the mood._

 _All I have left to say is sorry for the wait,_

 _And I hope you enjoy :D_


	2. The Permission

**Chapter 2 – The Permission**

"Scorpius?" Hermione exclaimed, as she opened the front door, a look of delighted surprise on her face.

Scorpius' hands were shaking, but he managed to lift one in a vague sort of wave, in order to greet her. His mouth was beyond numb – how he was going to get any words out was a complete mystery to him.

Hermione's brief look of delight fell into a confused frown. "Oh, Rose isn't here. She's –"

"No, that's alright, actually," Scorpius managed to say, cutting in quickly. "I, err, I'm actually here to see you."

No, Scorpius knew exactly where Rose was. It hadn't been a coincidence that she'd been absent upon his arrival – he'd taken careful measures to ensure she'd be out of the house, having given Albus strict instructions to take her out for lunch.

As Scorpius' best friend, since the two had met in their first year of Hogwarts, and Rose's cousin since, well, _forever,_ Albus had been more than willing to oblige. And although he'd been highly suspicious at first, he'd accepted Scorpius' ominous request without too much questioning.

Scorpius had vowed to tell Albus the reasoning behind his request, only after his confrontation with Rose's parents had been successful. _If_ his confrontation with Rose's parents was successful, that was.

Albus was suitably in the dark about Scorpius' intentions. Scorpius hadn't even told him he was going to Rose's parents' house, let alone that he was seeking their permission to ask her to marry him.

No, only when he had the go-ahead from Ron and Hermione, would Scorpius even consider mentioning his impending proposal. Though he was certain Albus would be the first one he confided in.

"Me?" Hermione asked, addressing Scorpius' previous comment.

"And your husband."

Hermione looked further confused.

"If that's alright," Scorpius added, trying to be as polite as he could.

"Is something wrong?" Hermione questioned, looking panicked. "Is Rose alright?"

"Oh, yeah, of course," Scorpius said. "I mean, I think she is. I – I _hope_ she is." He took a breath, trying to compose himself. "I just – I need to talk to you. I, err, I have something I want to… ask."

Hermione's eyes suddenly lit up, seemingly with understanding. "Ask me something?" she asked breathlessly. "Ask me and Ron something? About Rose?"

"I never said that," Scorpius said quickly, quite unsure of what he _had_ said. He couldn't possibly hear the words spilling from his mouth, when the thumping sound of his heart was ringing so loudly in his ears.

Hermione appeared breathlessly ecstatic though, her eyes widening slightly.

 _She knew_ , Scorpius thought to himself, torn between alarm and amusement. _She definitely knew._

But before Hermione could get it out of him, or Scorpius could say another word, Ron appeared in the hallway. He did a double take, as he noticed it was Scorpius at the door, in conversation with his wife.

"What –?"

"Scorpius is here to ask us something," Hermione said shrilly, grabbing at Ron's shirt, but still staring, wide-eyed and overly excited, at Scorpius. He, himself, had never felt more self-conscious.

Ron frowned, like he couldn't think of a possible reason why Scorpius Malfoy would wish to speak with the couple without Rose's company, and certainly like he couldn't understand why Hermione was so excited about it.

"Err, okay…? Why don't you come in, then?"

"Yes, yes, come in, come in, come in!" Hermione squealed, grabbing at Scorpius, and practically dragging him into the house.

As Hermione slammed the door behind him, and Scorpius crossed over the threshold into the Weasleys' house, he was painfully aware that this was the first time he'd ever been in the house without Rose by his side. And the first time he'd been in confrontation with Ron and Hermione, without her, for a very long time.

In fact, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd been alone with them, if he ever had been at all.

Scorpius gulped, under Ron's scrutiny. The redheaded man was eyeing him with curiosity, not in a hostile manner, but it was still highly intimidating to Scorpius.

Over the past three years, Scorpius and Ron had shared a somewhat strange relationship. As Rose adapted to life outside of Hogwarts, she'd opted to remain at her parents' house, whilst she found her feet. Unlike her friends, she had been unsure of what career to pursue after graduating, and had been trying out several options.

After an unfortunate incident a couple of months into their lives outside of Hogwarts, in which Ron may or may not have come across Scorpius, scantily-clad and in the Weasleys' kitchen, after he and Hermione had returned from a holiday sooner than expected, Rose had decided it was time to move out.

A decision which, Scorpius had to admit, he whole-heartedly supported. He may or may not have had to keep his distance from Ron for a while afterwards…

Rose had been sharing an apartment with her best friend, Taylor – fellow Gryffindor roommate – for the past year or so. Scorpius, similarly, had moved out of his newly widowed dad's house almost immediately after graduating Hogwarts, to share an apartment with Albus.

But being immensely close with her family, Rose frequented her parents' house, and Scorpius often accompanied her, growing in his relationship with her parents. It had been highly uncomfortable for him at first. It was difficult for any young man to bond with the overprotective father of his girlfriend, and it certainly didn't help Scorpius' case that he happened to be the son of the man said father had loathed when at school.

It hadn't even been a banterous schoolboy opposition though. Oh no, Draco Malfoy and Ron Weasley had been downright nemeses, with a family feud stretching deep into their ancestral roots. And Scorpius had never been held particularly highly in Ron's favour.

But since graduation, wherein Scorpius had begun training as a Healer, and proven to Ron he could be the respectful gentleman his daughter deserved (awkward scantily-clad kitchen encounters aside), the two men had developed a bond, of sorts. To say they were close would be an over-exaggeration, but Ron certainly tolerated Scorpius a lot more than he once had.

Nevertheless, Scorpius did not feel at ease in his company, in that moment, painfully aware of Rose's absence.

Scorpius was sat in the Weasleys' living room on one sofa, directly opposite Ron and Hermione, who were sat on another sofa. He couldn't help but feel like he was in trouble, strongly reminded of the way it felt to be confronted in the Hogwarts headmistress' office, as she surveyed him across her desk.

Hermione was holding her breath, looking almost giddy with excitement. She was leaning forward eagerly, her hands tightly clasped. In contrast, Ron was leant back casually, almost looking bored.

Scorpius took a deep breath.

"Rose and I have been together for… a long time." _Oh Merlin_ , he thought to himself. _Why hadn't he written this down beforehand?_ "And I, err, I truly love her."

Scorpius felt hot under his collar, with Ron eyeing him warily, clearly unsure of where he was going with this. "She means everything to me," he breathed. "And I, err, I never want to lose her."

"What, did you cheat on her, or something?" Ron demanded, in a gruff voice.

"What?"

" _Ron_ ," Hermione hissed, turning to glare at him.

"What?" Ron asked innocently. "Why is he so afraid he's going to lose her? What did he do?"

"I didn't do anything," Scorpius said, a lot more shrilly than he'd intended to. "No, no – it's nothing like that. I didn't –"

"Well, are you breaking up with her then?" Ron had taken on the look of an aggressive animal.

"No!" Scorpius exclaimed. "No, not at all. _Never_ ," he vowed, as seriously as swearing an oath in court. In fact, the way Ron was looking at him right then, strongly reminded Scorpius of the face-off he and Ron had shared at the Ministry of Magic, when Ron had taken Scorpius on trial at just fifteen. A total misunderstanding, of course, which had since been resolved.

Scorpius had been truly terrified then, and yet somehow, this felt worse.

"So why exactly are you afraid you'll lose her?" Ron asked, not quite as compassionately as Scorpius would have hoped for. He had gone into total overprotective father mode.

"It's not that I've done something, or _will_ do something, that might mean I'll lose her," Scorpius assured him. "It's more, just, that I want to take certain measures to ensure that I _never_ lose her."

Even Hermione looked alarmed. Scorpius realised how beyond creepy what he'd just said sounded. He almost dropped his head into his hands, and considered fleeing the Weasleys' house (and Ron's penetrative stare). Nothing was going right.

"What I meant to say," Scorpius corrected, before Ron tried to take him to court again (which, judging by his scowl, wasn't too absurd a consideration), "is that I am so deeply in love with your daughter, that envisioning a future without her in it, is just unbearable."

"Rose loves you too," Hermione burst out. "She'll never leave you, never!"

"Okay," Scorpius gulped. "Great!"

"Why are you telling _us_ this?" Ron inquired bluntly, having leant forwards. No longer bored and disinterested, he regarded Scorpius with suspicion. "I don't care if you love Rose? In fact, you better bloody love her, because you've been dating her for three years and –"

" _Ron_ ," Hermione hissed again. She flashed Scorpius a warm, toothy grin, as though trying to excuse her husband's brash attitude.

"What? I'm just saying –"

"I know you've not always held a favourable opinion of me, Sir," Scorpius interrupted. Ron looked momentarily irked at Scorpius for having the nerve to disrupt him, midsentence, but Scorpius went on anyway, desperate to get to the point of all his mindless rambling. "And I don't blame you, to be perfectly honest."

"Scorpius," Ron said awkwardly, "it's been, what, five years since you and Rose first got together? Believe me, I'm more than okay with it now. I don't need you to… _assure_ me of your love for Rose, or whatever the hell it is that you're doing."

"No, I know, Sir, I totally understand that. But the reason I'm –"

"Don't call me Sir."

"Ron, the reason I'm –"

"Call me Mr Weasley," he ordered, with a frown.

"Mr Weasley, Sir –"

"I said _don't_ call me Sir."

 _"I want to ask Rose to marry me!"_

Silence fell in the room, following Scorpius' outburst. Hermione had frozen, looking like she'd stopped breathing. Scorpius was sweating.

Ron, however, looked taken aback. "What?"

"I am so in love with your daughter," Scorpius gushed. "I have been, pretty much since the day I met her. Every time I see her I fall in love with her all over again, and every day I fall in love with her more and more."

As Scorpius paused for breath, Ron said nothing, so he continued.

"I've made some awful mistakes in my life. Perhaps not so drastically as my father did when he was my age, and I know my family name is tainted with a bad reputation, but the one thing – the sole accomplishment of my short-lived life – is falling in love with Rose. She is everything that's right in this world, and she means everything to me. It was really difficult for me when I lost my mother –"

"You were so brave," Hermione murmured, in awe.

"– and losing her truly made me realise how important it is to value and cherish those that you love. My mother wasn't always a good woman," Scorpius said awkwardly, "and I know she had some difficulty with accepting Rose, but I know, in my heart, that this is where I belong. Even during my darkest times – that being one of them – it's always been Rose who's the light in my life. A life without her – a life without that light – is not a life worth living. At least, not for me."

 _Oh Merlin_ , Scorpius thought again. It wasn't supposed to have sounded so dramatically morbid. It should have been beautiful, and romantic, and poetic!

If he hashed the proposal as much as he'd hashed _this_ , he was certain Rose would never agree to marry him. But at this rate, it didn't even look like he'd be granted the permission to even attempt a proposal.

Even Hermione had started to look somewhat doubtful.

"I have never been more certain of anything in my life than I have of the love I feel for Rose," Scorpius went on, even though he knew he should probably stop. "And being wholly united with her – in marriage – would truly make me the happiest man alive. Maybe it's sooner than most, to be getting married, that is, but I honestly do love her. Nothing is ever going to change that."

Ron and Hermione stared at him in silence. Scorpius wondered what the odds were of the sofa swallowing him up, right there and then.

"So, you want to marry Rose?" Ron asked after a while, as though this had not been clear.

"Yes," Scorpius answered. "More than anything."

"And you're here because…?"

Scorpius wanted to cry out in aguish, out of frustration at himself. After all that rambling, he hadn't even done the one thing he'd set out to achieve – the one thing he'd put himself through this torture for. He hadn't _actually_ asked Ron and Hermione for their permission to ask Rose to marry him.

"Mr and Mrs Weasley," Scorpius gulped, trying to act as polite and confident as he possibly could under Ron's hard scrutiny, "I would very much like to ask for your permission to ask your daughter for her hand in marriage."

" _Yes!"_ Hermione exclaimed, before even a second had passed.

But Ron held up a hand. "Woah, woah, woah, let's not be too hasty here."

Hermione and Scorpius both looked at him in shock.

"Scorpius, what exactly are your intentions with my daughter?" Ron asked, with an unreadable expression on his face.

Scorpius was completed dumbfounded. "Well, I want to marry her…"

Hadn't that been obvious?"

"Why?"

Scorpius looked to Hermione for help, as though she'd reveal this was some kind of a joke, or a test, or something. She just shrugged.

"Because I love her…?"

Ron frowned, and Scorpius gulped. Had that not been the right answer? He opened his mouth to elaborate, but Ron got there first.

"I just don't understand why _now?"_

"Mr Weasley, with all due respect, my feelings for Rose will never change. I could marry her tomorrow, or in fifty years' time from now, and I would still love her just the same. Taking that into consideration, I see no reason why we should delay it. These past three years with her have been the best of my life, and our relationship is stronger than ever. I feel we're old enough to know what we want."

"And you want to marry my daughter?"

Again – was Scorpius not making this clear enough? "Yes, wholeheartedly."

"And is that how you felt, four years ago?" Ron asked.

"Well, I'm not sure I wanted to marry her four years ago," Scorpius replied, not entirely sure what Ron was asking of him. "But I was only fifteen years' old back then, and I –"

"Cheated on her with some other girl."

Ron was glaring at him now, testing him. Scorpius felt as though all the blood had drained from his body. Was it getting colder in there? Was the room getting smaller?

"That was a terrible mistake," Scorpius said quickly. "I was under a lot of pressure. I was young, and stupid, and things were moving too fast, and –"

"And now you just want to _marry_ my daughter?"

"I would never cheat on Rose," Scorpius insisted, mortified that his loyalty was even being questioned. The circumstances in which he'd strayed, all those years ago, had been horribly complex, but perfectly justifiable. "That is _well_ in the past, believe me. I'd rather die than betray Rose in such a way. And you know Rose would never let me mess her around like that."

Ron actually smiled at that, proud of his daughter. Scorpius very nearly relaxed, but he wasn't letting his guard down that easily.

"So you're not going to run off with this woman the morning of your wedding – your _hypothetical_ wedding," Ron corrected, "leaving my daughter stranded at the altar, heartbroken and humiliated?"

"Are you referring to Ebony?" Scorpius asked, incredulous. "Ebony Bobbin? As in, the woman who's been married to your _nephew_ for the past three years?"

Ron shrugged, never breaking his stern glare. "I don't know what kind of girl she is."

"Believe me, Ebony and I are certainly close, but we're not romantically inclined towards each other, at all. I know" – he gulped – "it was complicated when we were at school and things… _happened._ But that was all a huge mess, and that problem will never present itself again. And besides," he laughed nervously, "James would kill me if I ever so much as _thought_ of Ebony in a romantic way. He and Rose would have to fight it out for who got to kill me…"

Ron nodded, looking at least a little satisfied. "Good," he grunted.

"No, I will never leave Rose," Scorpius vowed. "You have my word. I will love her until the day she dies."

Hermione and Ron both furrowed their brows in confusion.

"I mean until the day _I_ die," Scorpius corrected hastily. He let out an uneasy laugh. "If I happened to outlive Rose, I'd never stop loving her. I can assure you I'd never _dream_ of remarrying. There couldn't possibly be another woman that will fill the hole in my life, which her death would cause. Well," he considered, "I guess if she died _really_ young, and I got to middle age, I might think about it, but it would never be the same."

Hermione and Ron's faces fell into even deeper confusion.

"Okay, well not middle age exactly, but a lot older, let's say." Scorpius sensed he should stop, but something kept him going, digging himself into an even deeper hole. "Like you!" he exclaimed.

Ron raised his eyebrows.

"Not that you're _old_ ," Scorpius leapt in, absolutely horrified at what he'd said. "I mean, like – you're a fine wine, and all that. You know? Getting better with age and…"

"You think I'm like wine?" Ron asked in confusion.

"No, no, no, something more manly, of course. Like whiskey, or – or beer!"

"Beer tastes like Goblin piss."

"Well, no, not _beer_ , of course," Scorpius babbled. "Something nice and tasteful… like a cocktail! Yeah, you're, err, like a fruity little, umm, cocktail."

Hermione cocked her head, whilst Ron frowned even deeper.

"Champagne?" Scorpius suggested, his voice an almost inaudible squeak.

"Scorpius," Ron said seriously, as the younger man felt like dying, "I don't know to put this, so I'm going to be blunt."

 _Oh Merlin,_ Scorpius thought, for the third time that afternoon. Ron was going to say no.

"You don't happen to have a drinking problem, do you?"

"What?" Scorpius asked dumbly, whilst Hermione rolled her eyes in the background. "I – no – of course not! I just –"

"Okay," Ron interrupted, "I was just checking."

Scorpius had never wanted to die of embarrassment more than he did in that moment. He was twenty years' old, for goodness sake – he was an adult. He should have been more than capable of acting like a sane human being! Why was this so damn difficult? How could he possibly try and convince Ron that he deserved, and was of sound mind enough, to become his son-in-law?

"Look," he sighed, almost on the edge of defeat. "I know I'm making a huge mess of this. And I apologise for having wasted your time. But I honestly love Rose, more than I could possibly have imagined. We've been through some rough times, and somehow fate has always brought us back together.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with her, more than anything. And I know I'll never be on par with her – I'll never be good enough, or fully deserving of the wonderful person she is. But I can promise you that I will love her until the day I die, and I will do everything in my power to protect her and make her happy.

"I've got a good thing – better than I could ever deserve – and I was a fool to let her go, all those years ago. I've lived life without her, and it was deeply miserable. I can think of no happier future than being her husband, and if she lets me, I'll make every day of her life as happy as she makes me feel, every second I'm with her.

"I came here today," Scorpius explained, drawing to a close, "well-underprepared, but with one goal in mind. I have so much respect for you, Mr Weasley – for both you and your wife – and I know we've not always seen eye-to-eye, but I didn't want to do anything without gaining your wholehearted permission beforehand. If you could grant me this blessing, it would be the utmost honour, and I promise I'll strive to do my best, every day, to be the husband your daughter deserves."

Silence filtered into the Weasleys' living room. From outside, Scorpius could hear the gentle sounds of the neighbourhood – children's laughter in nearby gardens, the rustling of the trees in the summer breeze, and the melodic birdsong of the quaint English birdlife. It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm.

Scorpius was in a cold sweat though, anticipation engulfing him. Hermione was as breathless as he was, both of them sitting on the edge of their seat, as Ron considered Scorpius' request. His expression was completely unreadable – was he flattered, insulted, completely indifferent?

He'd never held so much power over Scorpius, and the young man realised his fate was resting on the words that would next spill from Ron's lips.

"No."

Scorpius was crestfallen. In fact, he was _devastated._

He and Ron had always had their differences, but Scorpius had truly thought they'd established a good relationship. He knew he'd been beyond terrified about the seemingly impossible task of asking Ron what he just had, but honestly, he'd not actually thought he'd say _no._

Scorpius had had his heart set on marrying Rose, but he craved Ron's approval almost even more than he did _hers_. In his heart, he'd never really expected Rose to reject his proposal – not because he was conceited, and selfish like that, but because he knew she was as deeply in love with him as he was with her. Ron, on the other hand, had always been a mystery to Scorpius – sometimes supportive, sometimes critical.

Scorpius was truly devastated.

Marriage to Rose was something he'd been toying with for a long time now, but he'd only just built up the courage to pursue it. He had had his heart so set on it, that the thought of not even asking her to marry him, after how much he'd worked himself up for it, was crushing. But he couldn't defy Ron.

Scorpius had gone to so much effort to seek Ron's approval, he couldn't possibly ignore his refusal, and rebel, by eloping with Rose without his permission. But not being able to even _ask_ Rose – perhaps never – truly made his heart sink.

Hermione looked as heartbroken as Scorpius felt, on the verge of either shouting at Ron, or begging him to reconsider. Scorpius' throat had gone dry, his desperate, ambitious words hanging in the air like ghosts.

And then Ron started laughing.

"I'm _joking_ ," he clarified, when neither Scorpius nor Hermione joined in. "Of course you can ask Rose to marry you, I'm not _heartless."_

Scorpius daren't let his breath go, just in case Ron was still messing with him, but when Hermione began to laugh too, and Ron offered Scorpius a genuine, warm smile, he finally relaxed.

"Thank you, Mr Weasley," he gushed, now feeling like the birds he'd heard singing previously, were fluttering around in his stomach. " _Thank you."_

"Now, I'm not saying she'll say _yes_ –"

"Oh, of course she will," Hermione squealed, jumping to her feet.

With a rush of relief flooding his body, and feeling like he was walking on air, Scorpius walked to the front door, accompanied by Ron and Hermione, the latter of whom pulled him into an unsuspecting hug before he could leave.

"I'm so happy for you both," she said. "I know it's not official, and you haven't even asked her yet, but even still, I'm so beyond happy for you both."

"Thank you," Scorpius said warmly, as Hermione finally released him. He looked to Ron.

The older man was regarding him with a pleased smile from the doorway. Scorpius wondered if Ron was going to hug him too. He wasn't sure he was quite ready for such a personal moment with the man who, he was reluctant to admit, kind of terrified him.

But Ron didn't hug him. Instead, he extended a hand. Scorpius took it eagerly, and the two shook hands.

"You're good for her, Scorpius," Ron said sincerely, "and I wish you luck. I know you'll make her happy."

"Thank you, Sir," Scorpius responded, quite forgetting Ron's objection to the title. He hadn't felt this ecstatic in a long time. Life was truly good.

Ron released his hand, leaning in, and dropping his voice low enough that Hermione couldn't hear him. "But know this, if you ever make her unhappy, or wrong her in any way, you _will_ have me to answer to."

Scorpius broke out into a smile. "I'd expect nothing less."

Ron straightened up, smiling once more. "Good."

And after a final farewell, Scorpius returned to his own apartment, eagerly awaiting Albus' return, so he could share the good news. Now all he needed to do was buy a ring, propose to the girl of his dreams, set a date, have a wedding, and enter into the blissful happiness of married life.

As far as Scorpius was concerned, the hard part was over.


	3. The Proposal

_**Author's Note:**_ _The Harmonia Gardens referred to in this chapter is a fictitious place. It's not a real restaurant in London, although I took the name from the musical 'Hello Dolly' (one of my favourite films!)_

 _If you want some visual aid, this is how I imagine Rose's dress:  
www. lyst (dot com) /clothing/st-john-collection-liquid-satin-cowlneck-gown-berry/?product_gallery=5706792 (without the spaces)_

 _And for her hair style, if you search 'Amy Adams 50's hair' in google images - something like the first option_

* * *

 **Chapter 3 – The Proposal**

Albus was the first one Scorpius told. In fact, other than his own father, Albus was the _only_ person he told.

Scorpius intended to propose to Rose fairly quickly, after having gained Ron and Hermione's permission – a month at the most. He didn't want it to be long and drawn-out. Partially because he was desperate to marry her, or at the least, be engaged to her. And partially because he was terrified Ron might change his mind.

And even though it wasn't the proposal Scorpius was most anticipating, but more the wedding, and indeed, the marriage itself, he wanted it to be perfect. Scorpius had always strived to fill Rose's life with romance, and this would be no exception.

If all went to plan, this proposal would be the most important, happiest, and romantic moment of their life together so far. Scorpius would see to it the best he could.

So on the evening of March 15th, around a month after gaining Ron and Hermione's blessing, dressed to the nines, and with a sleek, velvet ring box safely secured in his pocket, Scorpius headed for the Harmonia Gardens, where Rose would hopefully be awaiting him.

Scorpius was nervous – of _course_ , he was. He'd delivered (and often messed up) many a romantic, soppy spiel to his beloved – some heartfelt, some desperate, some disastrous, and some beautifully poetic. Whether he planned in advance, or delivered it spontaneously, his romantic speeches were always hit-and-miss on whether they'd be as beautiful as he intended them to be, but somehow he always managed to charm his way into Rose's graces.

So even though there was a very strong probability of Scorpius messing this up, and he felt the anxious flutter he always did when opening up emotionally, he wasn't greatly stressed out by the prospect of the proposal.

After facing Ron, nothing could scare him more. In fact, his (mostly) successful encounter with the Weasleys, had left Scorpius with a sense of heightened confidence and elation at the thought of asking Rose to marry him. Although, admittedly, he _was_ nervous, he also found he was rather excited.

With Albus' help, who had been beside himself with excitement when Scorpius had shared the news, Scorpius had arranged for Rose to meet him at the Harmonia Gardens that evening, one of the classiest (and most expensive) restaurants in Muggle London.

He could have chosen somewhere sentimental. He could have chosen somewhere magical. But Scorpius had chosen elegance – something neither he nor Rose delved into too often.

Right in the heart of London, Rose and Scorpius had often passed the Harmonia Gardens restaurant on romantic strolls through the city, and Rose had always sighed endearingly as they did so, expressing her desire to one day dine there.

Tonight was the night.

Scorpius straightened his bowtie, did up the cufflink that had fallen loose, cleared his throat, and strode towards the grand entrance of the Harmonia Gardens. With one last check that the ring box was most definitely in the pocket of his dinner jacket, he approached the redhead waiting by the door, her back to him.

Scorpius realised, with a sense of awe, that this would be the last time he'd ever approach Rose as his girlfriend. If all went to plan, from now on she'd be his fiancée, and then shortly after, his wife. He could very well be married within the year!

Perhaps that thought would have terrified most twenty-year-old young men, but not Scorpius. Marrying Rose Weasley was a decision he wholeheartedly believed in, and if she granted him the greatest honour by saying 'I do,' he knew he'd be the happiest man alive.

"Good evening, Freckles."

"How many times have I told you _not_ to call me that?"

Scorpius unwound his arms from Rose's waist, having approached her from behind and murmured into her ear, intent on taking her by surprise.

She rolled her eyes at him, but softened into a smile as she turned around.

Scorpius had been about to make some witty remark in response to her comment, with the intent of charming his way into making the atmosphere light-hearted, and therefore putting him further at ease, but he found the words were incapable of forming in his throat.

In fact, Scorpius wasn't sure he'd ever be able to speak again.

How could he? How could anybody speak coherently after seeing the sight that befell Scorpius Malfoy? The sight of, quite possibly, the most beautiful girl in the world, dripping with elegance and grace, wearing a smile of the most tender warmth.

There was no 'quite possibly' about it. Rose Weasley _was_ , and would forever be, in Scorpius' humble opinion, the most beautiful girl that would ever grace his presence, and indeed, any man's.

Suddenly, the prospect of asking her to marry him was a lot more daunting. Who was _he_ , to be betrothed to _her?_

Rose had really outdone herself. She was always beautiful, but she and Scorpius rarely got to dress up in finery anymore – not since their Hogwarts' days, and the balls they'd attended. She was wearing a satin dress in deep crimson, making her hair look softer and more of a warm amber colour than it usually appeared.

In a cut that clung to her body as silkily as water running over rocks, the dress flowed down to the floor, where it pooled around her ankles. The bodice was looser, sleeveless, and with a cowl neck, exposing her fragile collarbones. There could not have been a more perfect dress for emphasising the dainty gracefulness of Rose's petite figure.

Lips as red as the shade of the dress, and with the natural blush of her cheeks, the soft paleness of Rose's skin was accentuated. She almost glowed in the moonlight, looking more angelic than ever before. Her gentle red hair was pulled to one side to expose her neck, preened into loose curls in a style that seemed to replicate 50's glamour.

Scorpius took a step back, almost reeling in shock with how incredible she looked. Rose broke into a shy smile, surely knowing what kind of effect she had on him.

"You look –" Scorpius breathed, completely wonderstruck. But there were absolutely no words to describe how beautiful Rose looked in that moment.

"Well," Rose said coyly, "it _is_ the Harmonia Gardens, after all."

Scorpius smiled at her, beginning to ease back into confidence. "It is," he agreed. "Are you impressed?"

"Incredibly so. I've only been hinting for, what, two years?" she teased.

Scorpius beamed down at her. She was adorably petite, about five inches shorter than himself, and he'd never really appreciated the dynamic of their height difference.

"Well, you know I'm slow on these things – romance, and all that."

"I don't know," Rose shrugged, in a playful manner. She walked towards Scorpius, closing the distance that he'd caused by admiring her in her full glory. She took hold of the lapels of his dinner jacket, straightening them. Still holding on, she peered up at him, with adoring long-lashed eyes. "You do alright."

Scorpius forced himself not to kiss her. If he did, then he feared he'd lose control of his emotions, and then he'd never be able to get a decent proposal speech out.

Fearful that she might kiss him instead, Scorpius took hold of her hands, and manoeuvred her towards the entrance.

"So, what's the occasion?" Rose asked brightly, as they passed the doorman, arms linked.

Scorpius tensed, wondering if she already knew what was about to happen.

He'd tried to keep his distance from her over the past month, worried he'd be unable to keep it a secret. Hermione had been overly excited, which hadn't helped avoid piquing Rose's curiosity, and both Ron and Albus had been mysteriously cheerful and knowing around her.

Rose definitely knew something was up. But did she know _exactly?_ – Scorpius wondered.

"Because I love you," he replied. "Does there need to be another reason?"

Rose was about to reply, probably with something flirty and banterous, but she was rendered speechless, just as Scorpius was, as they entered the Harmonia Gardens.

Years of passing by the window, glancing in with great interest, Rose and Scorpius could never have been prepared for how gloriously breathtaking the establishment was. And they were of magical blood; they had seen all number of wondrous and breathtaking things!

A thousand lights glimmered around them, bouncing off of the polished marble. Light, and laughter, and music, filled the air, and the young lovers' hearts soared.

"It's so beautiful," Rose gasped.

And it truly was. The tinkle of champagne glasses harmonised with the tinkling of the grand piano's ivory keys. The classical music made Scorpius feel at peace. After all, he always heard music when Rose was around.

It was only just then, as they were escorted to their table (Scorpius was thankful that he'd booked in advance, for the restaurant was packed with Muggles), that he realised how expensive this was going to be.

But it didn't matter to him. Rose was worth it, he decided – every last Knut, Sickle, and Galleon.

As they were seated, Rose kept looking around in wonder, completely in awe of the place. "It's nothing like I ever dreamed it to be. We should come here more often!"

Scorpius glanced down the menu, and his eyes widened. "I, err, I think we might have to make this a one-time thing…"

Her face fell, as she focused back on him. "One-time?"

"Okay, well, maybe once in, like, every twenty years or so." He grinned. "And only if you pay."

"Of course I will," Rose insisted, looking mildly offended. "I wouldn't expect you to pay for all of this by yourself, Scorpius. I'm not one of _those_ girls."

"No," Scorpius agreed, "but you're not paying a single Knut tonight."

"Don't be ridiculous, we'll go half and half."

"Rose," Scorpius insisted, "I'm paying for everything this evening – it's not up for discussion."

It was supposed to be a hugely romantic gesture, but Scorpius just felt like he was belittling her. The look on Rose's face let him know that she thought so too.

"I know you're trying to be chivalrous," she said coldly, "but it's very outdated, and a little sexist of you, to insist on paying fully."

Oh Merlin, she was persistent.

"Rose." Scorpius softened his tone, and reached out to hold her hand across the table. "I respect what you're saying, and if it were any other place, on any other day, then I'd have no objections. But please, just for tonight, let me treat you."

Rose considered it, still looking slightly huffy at his assertion. "Why?" she asked suspiciously.

 _Ah._

"Why do you want to treat me? Why tonight? It's not like it's my birthday or anything," she pointed out.

"Because I love you," Scorpius replied calmly, trying not to act too suspicious. "Does there need to be a reason?"

"You 'loving me' is not a valid answer for every question I ask you," Rose retaliated, but she was smiling coyly again, rather than being aggressive.

"Ah, on the contrary, Rose Weasley, me loving you is the answer to my life as a whole."

Scorpius was still holding her hand across the table. Both of them were smiling again, and Rose's formerly hostile expression had melted into one of utmost endearment. Her eyes shone with love, and Scorpius knew his were too.

"Fine," Rose relented, withdrawing her hand and selecting a menu. "But I want the most expensive champagne."

"Done."

Rose stared at him. "Scorpius, I was joking," she said in amusement.

"I wasn't."

And to prove his point, Scorpius gestured to the closest waiter, and ordered the most expensive champagne the Harmonia Gardens offered.

Rose was watching him in awe.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"My God, you really _do_ love me."

Scorpius broke into another grin. "Well, I've been telling you for years."

As music surrounded them, the atmosphere in the Harmonia Gardens was light-hearted, and warm, and full of love. Scorpius hadn't anticipated how busy it would be. He knew the restaurant was in high-demand, with only the most exclusive able to gain access (he may, or may not, have used magic to get a reservation in such a short space of time…) but still, he was blown away.

There were people _everywhere._

And although they were all absorbed in their own little bubbles, nobody paying any attention to those surrounding their table, Scorpius felt a lot of pressure at his impending proposal. People would _see_ him. They might even hear him!

It was one thing to say soppy romantic things to Rose when they were alone, (and excruciatingly uncomfortable to say soppy romantic things about her to her parents), but Scorpius wasn't sure he could do it in front of hundreds of spectators, even if nobody was sparing him a second glance at that precise moment.

His whole body had seized up.

As their champagne, and shortly after, their meals, arrived, Rose tried to make small talk. Scorpius, on the other hand, felt like he was drowning. He hadn't thought this through at all.

His mind was consumed by thoughts of the proposal. When should he do it? What should he say? Would it be better to do it towards the start of the evening, so they could spend the rest of it in celebration? During the meal? After the meal? Just as they were about to leave?

And why hadn't he been more creative? – Scorpius thought furiously. He could have requested the ring be placed in the champagne, or Rose's dessert or something. And then she'd stumble upon it herself, and basically let the proposal happen without too much effort on Scorpius' part.

But he hadn't thought of that. So now he'd have no choice but to get down on one knee in the middle of the classy, crowded restaurant. People would most definitely be watching him.

And what if she said 'no'? What if she rejected his proposal in front of all these people?

Scorpius felt like he might faint.

"So, Gwen should be back soon," Rose was saying cheerfully, as she speared some food on her fork, completely oblivious to Scorpius' internal panic.

"B-back?" Scorpius asked, trying to focus on Rose, and remain calm. "Where's she been?"

"On tour. I thought you knew that?"

Scorpius frowned in confusion. "Gwen's… on tour?"

Scorpius was close with Rose's former Gryffindor roommates, considering them to be his own friends too, just as Rose did with his former Slytherin friends. Gwen, he knew for a fact, was athletically-inclined. She had been Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team in her final year at Hogwarts, just as Scorpius had been Captain for Slytherin.

Janey – Rose's obnoxious, gobby, theatrically-inclined friend – was the dramatic one. Both in nature, and career-wise. Didn't it make sense for _her_ to be on tour?

"How exactly do you go 'on tour' with Quidditch?" Scorpius asked, deeply confused.

"Her and her team," Rose explained. "They've been travelling over Europe for the past few months. Don't you listen to anything I tell you?" she teased.

"Okay, but what exactly does this tour consist of? Are they, like, in a league or something? Are they playing matches?"

"No, not really. They're meeting teams, watching matches, practicing, picking up techniques, going to seminars and such – meeting fans."

"Gwen has _fans?"_ Scorpius asked, completely at ease now he'd been distracted.

"Oh, yes, she's becoming quite well-known in the world of Quidditch," Rose said brightly. "She's thinking about trying out for a proper league team – maybe the Holyhead Harpies, like her mum."

"We don't play Quidditch very much anymore," Scorpius said sadly, thinking about their Quidditch days.

Rose had detested Quidditch at first, deeming it boring, and stupid, and a complete waste of time, despite Scorpius being a Seeker. But by some twist of fate, (after she'd been forced, against her will, to join the Gryffindor Quidditch team as punishment by the Hogwarts' headmistress) she'd grown fond of the sport, and played as Keeper for the past three years as a student, following in the footsteps of her father.

"You really should get a new broom," Scorpius advised.

But Rose looked offended. "I love my broom!" she declared.

"But you've had it for five years now. You could get a much better one."

"No," Rose said firmly, blushing ever so slightly. "You gave me this broomstick for my fifteenth birthday – the first gift you ever gave me. I could never replace it; it has too much sentimental value."

Scorpius felt moved.

"And besides," Rose went on, "it's not like I _need_ a new-fangled high-tech broomstick for anything. It's just for fun. I'm not _Gwen_."

"I didn't realise it meant so much to you," Scorpius said shyly, blushing gently, himself.

Rose raised her eyebrows. " _You_ could get yourself a new broomstick," she pointed out, an edge to her voice. "You've had that same old Firebolt for far longer than I've had my broomstick."

Scorpius was about to retaliate – to explain to Rose how obsessive he was over his Firebolt, and how he wouldn't ever, not in a million years, give it up – when he realised what she was getting at.

"Touché," he said coolly, as she smirked at him.

Scorpius' Firebolt had been a long-standing point of tension between the two, stretching way back to their Fourth Year at Hogwarts. He _was_ incredibly obsessive over his Firebolt, so much so that he never let anybody so much as touch it, let alone ride it – not even Rose.

So much so, that he'd bought Rose her own broomstick for her fifteenth birthday, just so there was no danger of her ever wanting to ride his.

So much so, that when he and Rose had broken up in Fifth Year, and he'd allowed his new girlfriend to practice on it, Rose had never quite forgiven him…

"We really should get back into it," Scorpius said. "Quidditch, I mean. It'd be good fun – you, me, Albus – just like old times. We could get everybody in on it. Sam, Janey, Ebony, James –"

"We'd never have the time," Rose interrupted sadly. "Everybody's so busy these days. Everybody's busy with their careers, their families, their marriages, in some cases –"

Scorpius almost choked on his champagne.

"– and we'd never be able to arrange a time that suits everybody. I mean, if Gwen's in the country then Albus isn't, Janey's so busy in her show that I don't even remember the last time I saw her, James is always training, Taylor's always –"

"Hey, hey, hey," Scorpius said gently, sensing Rose was working herself up into hysteria.

She stopped, took a breath, and downed the last remaining drops from her champagne glass.

"We'll all be together soon," he said warmly, thinking of the wedding.

Rose was calm again. She looked up curiously. "We will be?"

Scorpius froze. "Err…"

"When will we all be together?"

"I, err," – Scorpius gulped – "I just meant, well, I didn't mean, like, a specific time or anything. I just meant, I'm sure we'll all be together again soon… at _some_ point."

Rose frowned. "It seems so unlikely though. It's not like when we were at Hogwarts and we saw each other literally _every_ day. Now we're lucky if we're altogether just a couple of times a year."

Scorpius gulped again, as he noted the sad, pained look in Rose's eyes. The evening had taken an unfortunate turn; she seemed thoroughly depressed. This was not the mood he'd wanted her to be in when he proposed…

"Well," Scorpius said compassionately, "we always knew this would happen –"

Rose looked even more distraught.

"– but it's not the end of the world. We still have each other."

Rose didn't look greatly impressed.

 _Do it now_ , Scorpius ordered himself. What better time? He could give her some deep, romantic speech about how they would always have each other, and that he wanted to ensure that they had each other for all of time. Then he could get down on one knee, ask for her hand in marriage, and her heart and eyes would light up at the thought of them all being reunited for the wedding.

He fumbled suddenly in his pocket, trying to get hold of the ring box, but Rose was talking again.

"I know it's stupid of me," she sighed, "to be getting so emotional about all of this. But everything was so safe at Hogwarts – so secure. Everything was laid out for me; I never had to make any huge decisions by myself."

"Well, _speaking_ of huge decisions –"

"And wherever I went there were always people there for me, you know? Everywhere I turned there was somebody supporting me – people who loved and cared for me. Even when it felt like all my friends and family were against me – the whole school – at least I had _you_. Or I had Bobbin, or Lily, or, just, always _somebody._ "

"Well, you know, speaking of me always being there for you, I –"

"Gwen's becoming really well-recognised by the Quidditch community. And I'm hugely proud of her for it. But with Janey in this West End show, or whatever it is she's doing – I don't _really_ get all this Muggle show business stuff – and after Taylor had that huge amount of success surrounding the trial where she proved her father's innocence –"

"Rose, sweetie, you need to breathe," Scorpius interrupted, before Rose started hyperventilating.

She did so, closing her eyes and exhaling deeply. "Okay, I'm sorry," she apologised, waving her hand, and opening her eyes again. "It's just, it's been almost two years since we left Hogwarts, and everybody else's lives are taking off with huge success. Nearly all my friends are renowned in the wizarding community, and what have I done?"

"You're being too hard on yourself, Rose."

"Gwen, Janey, and Taylor are _all_ becoming household names –"

"That's a bit of an exaggeration."

"– they're all chasing their dreams, and making the most of their lives. All I've been doing is going from job to job, seeing what my passion is, and what have I got to show for it? _Nothing_. I've achieved _nothing._ "

"You can't compare yourself to your friends, Rose," Scorpius said gently. "It doesn't matter that you haven't found our passion in life yet. You're only nineteen, after all. And you're not alone. Albus isn't really doing anything –"

"Oh," Rose groaned, "but he's always off travelling. He's seeing the world – he's living his life!"

"James and Ebony aren't doing anything spectacular," Scorpius pointed out desperately. "James is still in Auror training – he hasn't really achieved anything yet – and Ebony just runs her business in Diagon Alley. It's not like they're –"

"At least they're married," Rose said quietly, sadly.

 _Do it now,_ Scorpius ordered himself again. He'd never have such a perfect opportunity as this. Marriage was on Rose's mind. She was sad – she was practically saying that marriage would give her life meaning!

Scorpius fumbled for the ring box again. But then he caught sight of her expression, as she pushed the last scraps of her meal around her plate with her fork. It made Scorpius' heart ache. She looked so sad – he couldn't propose to her under these circumstances.

It was all wrong.

"I mean, look at _you_ ," Rose went on. "In a few months you'll have completed your training, and you'll be a fully-fledged Healer at St. Mungo's. You'll be so successful, and I'll barely see you, and –"

"I will _always_ make time for you, Rose," Scorpius assured her. "Believe me, becoming a Healer won't change anything. In fact" – he paused, his hand shooting back into his pocket – "I, err, I want you to be by my side. I – I _always_ want you to be by my side."

Rose looked at him breathlessly. "You mean" – she was in awe – "You mean as…?"

Scorpius had firm hold of the ring box in his pocket now.

"As a Healer?" Rose whispered.

"Of course, Rose, I – wait, what?"

"Of _course._ I could become a Healer too!"

"N-no," Scorpius stuttered. "No, I meant –"

"I can't believe I didn't think of this before." Rose's entire being had lit up. "I could train alongside you – I could be your assistant, or something! I never thought of it before – never even considered it – because, you know, it was _your_ thing. And I was so proud of you for pursuing it – I never once considered it for myself either."

Scorpius wasn't quite sure what was happening. He had thought they were both on the same page – that Rose had known, and understood, that Scorpius was about to ask her to be his wife.

"Rose, I thought…"

Her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my gosh, Scorpius, I'm so sorry!"

"For… what?"

"For just _assuming_ it would be okay with you. I didn't even ask, I just went ploughing on."

"No, Rose, it's fine." Scorpius removed his hand from his pocket once more, leaving behind the soft velvet of the ring box. "I think it's great that you want to consider Healing. It's an option you've not yet tried – I've no doubt you'd be good at it. You could enrol in a taster training course at St. Mungo's," he suggested, though his heart was sinking.

Not because of Rose's sudden interest in becoming a Healer, but because the moment for him to propose had passed again.

"Whatever makes you happy," he said kindly.

Rose looked sad again. "I'm so sorry. You went to so much effort, and it's so beautiful here, and I've made tonight such a downer…"

"No," Scorpius denied, smiling at her warmly. "Don't worry about it, Rose, I'm sure tonight will pick up a little later on."

She regarded him with curiosity once more. "It will?"

Scorpius wanted to slap himself – he'd done it _again._

"Oh, you know, during dessert…"

"What's so special about dessert?"

Scorpius was floundering, sweating nervously beneath his suit and tie. "Have you _seen_ the dessert menu?" he said frantically, pushing it towards her across the table, and almost knocking over his champagne glass in the process. "They have crème brûlée!"

Rose took the menu with an amused smile. "I had no idea you were such a fan of crème brûlée, Scorpius," she teased.

The heat was starting to filter out of Scorpius' body, as he returned to his state of calm. "Oh, err, yeah," he said casually. "Love it…"

"In that case, I'll have the same."

"Of course." Scorpius grinned at her.

"Unless you'd let me treat you?" Rose suggested. "I could buy the desserts for us?"

"No," Scorpius said firmly, "I told you, Rose – _I'm_ paying for this evening."

He'd already spent so much on the ring (which Albus had helped him pick out) – he might as well pay for the entire proposal. Perhaps his dad, or maybe even Rose's, would be able to help him out when it came to the actual wedding…

Although, at this rate, it didn't look like there'd be a proposal, much less a wedding.

As they delved into their crème brûlées, Scorpius was painfully aware that their time at the Harmonia Gardens was drawing to an end, and he still he hadn't popped the big question. Nothing was going hugely wrong, it's just, nothing was going particularly _right._

If Rose wasn't getting angry about splitting the bill, then she was getting sad about her life having no obvious direction, or else the waiter was right there, or they were in the middle of eating, or Scorpius was painfully aware that he was surrounded by crowds of people, and the walls seemed to be closing in on him.

"Mmm, this _is_ good," Rose said cheerily, as she spooned the dessert into her mouth.

Scorpius dipped his spoon into his own dessert with disgust. He'd never been fond of crème brûlée…

After a moment of silence, whilst Rose enjoyed her dessert, and Scorpius pondered exactly how he'd still be able to pull off this proposal in a romantic and memorable way, Rose set her spoon down and looked at him with a huge smile on her face.

"Today's an important day," she said matter-of-factly.

Scorpius' heart sank. She _did_ know.

"It is?" he asked cautiously.

"Oh, come on," Rose said teasingly, "it just now hit me why _today's_ the day you finally decided to bring me to the Harmonia Gardens."

"Because I love you?" Scorpius suggested nervously, hating himself for not having been subtle enough. He'd wanted the proposal to come as a surprise to Rose – to take her breath away. If they acknowledged it before it even happened then the whole façade would be ruined.

"March 15th," Rose said eagerly. "I didn't think you'd remember."

"Remember?" Scorpius repeated. Remember what, exactly? It wasn't Rose's birthday, was it!?

But no, Scorpius thought as he relaxed, her birthday was May 5th – he was certain of it. So what exactly did she mean?

"March 15th," Rose said again, just as eagerly.

Scorpius just looked dumbfounded, and Rose's face fell.

"Five years ago…" Rose prompted.

Scorpius racked his brain. Five years ago, on March 15th? How was he supposed to remember what exactly he was doing back then? Had he and Rose even met properly?

"It was our first kiss," Rose said, not looking particularly amused.

"It was?"

"Scorpius!"

"What – oh, no – no, I meant it _was._ Of course I remember." He took a sip of champagne to disguise his blatant lie. "We, ah, we were in Hogsmeade and we –"

"We were on the Quidditch pitch."

"Oh – yeah – and I took you into my arms, told you that you were the most beautiful girl in the world, and –"

"That's not how it happened at all."

"Isn't it?"

" _Scorpius_ ," Rose groaned, now just looking hurt. "You don't remember it at all?"

"Well, I… Look, Rose, we've shared a lot of kisses, and this was _five_ years ago."

"It was our _first_ kiss, Scorpius. And you can't even remember it!"

"I _do_ remember… _bits_ of it," he said weakly. "I remember the pitch, and the moonlight, and – and there was a scarf involved, right?"

"You gave me your scarf," Rose agreed bitterly. "It was cold, and you wrapped it around my neck, and pulled me in, and –"

"Told you I loved you," Scorpius said fondly.

Rose sighed, though not in an endearing way.

"I didn't tell you I loved you?" Scorpius asked, in confusion. "What a _jerk.._."

Rose smiled, despite her upset. "You didn't tell me you loved me until May 2nd."

How she could remember tiny little things like that was beyond Scorpius. "Look, Rose," he said, taking hold of both of her hands from across the table.

If he didn't salvage the situation soon he'd be going home with the ring box still safely secure in his pocket. He _was_ going to propose, and it _was_ going to be beautiful.

"We've had a glorious, and occasionally traumatic, past together, and you know I've never been one to remember all the little details of our past, like you do. But that's not because it's not important to me," Scorpius gently assured her. "It's just because I'm more excited about our present together. And" – he gulped, smiling warmly, and giving her hand a gentle squeeze – "our future."

Rose's expression melted into adoration once more. "Scorpius, that's so sweet."

He relaxed. _Okay, this was it._

"Rose, look, all evening I've been meaning to tell you something – to ask you something, actually. So I guess I'll just go ahead and –"

"Your bill, Sir."

"What?"

Scorpius and Rose both turned to the waiter, hands still clasped.

"Your bill, Sir," the waiter repeated, placing a small booklet on the table, which resembled the menu, containing their receipt for the evening.

"Oh, err, thank you," Scorpius said, retracting his hands.

The waiter gave a small nod of his head, and departed, leaving the couple alone. But all the romance of the situation had long since departed.

Scorpius took the receipt with a sigh.

"Are you sure you don't want me to contribute anything?" Rose asked.

Scorpius looked down at the receipt, nearly swore, and gave a firm shake of his head. "No," he assured her, for the third time that evening. "I really want to treat you tonight, Rose. You know, in honour of it being the five year anniversary of our first kiss."

Rose rolled her eyes.

"No, I told you before," Scorpius went on, "you're not spending a single Knut this evening." He rummaged in his pocket for his wallet, careful not to expose the ring box.

"Well," she considered, "neither are you."

Scorpius frowned. "What?"

"You're not paying a single Knut either," Rose explained, with an amused smile. "This is a Muggle restaurant, remember? You can't pay in Knuts, Sickles, and Galleons – you have to use Muggle money."

Scorpius could _not_ believe his own stupidity. "Are you serious?"

"Well, _yeah,_ " Rose laughed. When Scorpius didn't join in, she looked worried. "You _did_ bring Muggle money, didn't you?"

"Umm…"

"Scorpius!" Rose snorted.

"Oh God," he groaned. "I can't believe I didn't think of this."

"Scorpius –"

"Seriously, _what_ is wrong with me?"

"Scorpius, I –"

"Why did it never cross my mind that I'd need _Muggle_ money to buy dinner at a _Muggle_ restaurant?"

"Scorpius, I can –"

"Seriously, this is, without a doubt –"

"Scorpius, I can pay for the meal!" Rose finally burst out, growing impatient.

"No," Scorpius said firmly. "No, Rose, I told you, _I'm_ going to pay."

"With what?" she demanded shrilly. "Do you have a single coin on you that isn't wizarding money?"

"Do _you?"_

"No," Rose said curtly, "but I have _this._ " She pulled out a small plastic card from her purse.

"What is that – a business card?"

"No," she laughed, "it's a credit card. Mum gave it to me last year, in case I ever wanted to go shopping in London or something. Muggle London," she clarified, "not just Diagon Alley, obviously."

"But I – I wanted to treat you," Scorpius said, like a sulky child. How humiliating, after he'd made such a fuss about it.

"Well, you don't have a choice, do you?" Rose said smugly.

Scorpius relented, cursing himself internally, as he allowed Rose to pay the full price for their meal.

As they left the Harmonia Gardens, arm in arm, politely nodding to the doorman as they departed, Scorpius realised, with an ache in his heart, that he hadn't yet proposed to Rose.

What was the point anymore? He couldn't ask her in the dirty, London street.

But there would never be an opportunity for them to dine at the Harmonia Gardens in the near future, and he knew there'd never be a more romantic atmosphere in which he could do it.

"It's so beautiful," Rose sighed, leaning into Scorpius, as they walked out into the crisp night air.

"It really was," Scorpius said sadly. It was hard not to feel a sense of longing and loss. He should have just gotten the proposal over and done with at the beginning of the night. But _no_ , now he'd gone and lost his chance.

"Not the Gardens," Rose said, "although it really _was_ beautiful. I meant tonight."

Scorpius looked up at the night sky, and realised she was right. It was a perfectly clear night, dark and inky, in midnight blue, with the starry heavens shining down on them, and the moon a perfect glowing orb.

The exterior of the Harmonia Gardens was almost as beautiful as the interior, Scorpius realised. He'd never seen it at night, but it was adorned with tiny twinkly fairy lights. Two large, leafless trees, probably ornamental, were situated on either side of the restaurant's entrance, and they too had fairy lights entwined into their branches, almost like it was Christmas.

It was beautiful, and incredibly romantic.

A thought popped into Scorpius' head. Perhaps he could still give Rose the perfect proposal.

"Thank you for a beautiful evening," Rose said. They'd stopped outside the entrance, bathed in the glow of the fairy lights.

"You know," Scorpius said sincerely, "the evening's not quite over yet."

Rose had turned to face him, and was flirtatiously straightening his lapels again. "Are you suggesting we take this back to either one of our apartments?" she asked, batting her eyelashes.

That wasn't what Scorpius had been suggesting at all, but he _certainly_ wasn't going to discourage the idea.

"Not, ah, not just yet." Scorpius was unable to contain his grin, placing his hands on her arms in a tender way. _This was it._

Rose shivered at his touch, though not out of anticipation.

"Are you cold?" he asked worriedly.

"A little," she admitted. "Can I borrow your jacket?"

"Of course." Scorpius whipped his dinner jacket off in one fluid movement, tenderly wrapping it around her shoulders. His hands lingered, holding her tenderly.

"Not that you remember it, but this is exactly how our first kiss was," Rose said with a gentle smile. "I was cold, you wrapped your scarf around me, your hands lingered, and then you kissed me."

"I do remember it," Scorpius lied. He _did_ remember it vaguely, just clearly not to the extent that Rose did.

It was clear to him that Rose wanted him to kiss her, replicating that moment from five years ago, but Scorpius stood his ground. All he needed to do was drop to one knee, pull the ring from his pocket, and –

Scorpius froze.

"Err…"

"What is it?" Rose asked, noticing his worried expression.

"I'm gonna have to take this back." Scorpius whipped off the jacket from Rose's shoulders before she could protest, and slipped it back on himself. He could feel the weight of the ring box in his pocket, and sighed in relief.

Rose looked more than a little offended, and gave him a questioning look.

"I was cold," Scorpius explained, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"Oh." Rose wrapped her arms around herself. "Okay then…"

"You should have brought your own jacket," Scorpius blurted out. "It's March, Rose, really, you should have known it was cold."

"I'm… sorry?"

Scorpius gave a nod of his head, mortified at what he'd just done. "Glad we cleared that up."

Rose looked perturbed for only a little while longer, before she was smiling at him endearingly again. She pulled herself towards him so she was enfolded in his arms once more.

"I don't mind," she said playfully. "Being in your arms will keep me warm enough."

There wasn't much more Scorpius could possibly do wrong.

Well…

Anyhow, he decided he needed to get the proposal done as soon as possible, before he made an even bigger fool of himself.

"Is something troubling you, Scorpius?" Rose asked sincerely.

Scorpius let out an uneasy laugh. "How can you tell?"

"You've been acting odd all evening."

"That's just the effect you have on me."

"Oh, I know," she teased, "but it's been even more noticeable this evening."

Scorpius held her in his arms, unable to comprehend that the beautiful girl whose eyes he was looking into, he was lucky enough to call his girlfriend. Honestly, what had he done to deserve her?

"I love you, Rose Weasley, more than you could possibly understand."

Rose smiled coyly. "Try me."

"I wanted tonight to be perfect."

"It was," she assured him.

Scorpius returned her smile. "I certainly could have made it better."

"Yeah? Well, I wouldn't change a thing."

Rose had reached out a tender hand to cradle Scorpius' cheek, and his hands had found their way to her waist once more. Although it was cold, and she must have been freezing, her fingers felt soft and warm against his face.

Rose tilted her head slightly, eyeing his lips, and began to lean in slowly. Scorpius almost let himself get caught up – a beautiful kiss to end a beautiful night.

But the night wasn't over. And he had vowed not to kiss her until he knew he could get the proposal right.

"Not just yet," he said coyly.

Rose looked at him curiously, with wide, doe-like eyes. Her hair gleamed under the lights that twinkled from the trees. There was a warm glow emanating from within the Harmonia Gardens.

"All night I've been thinking about what to say, and how to say it," Scorpius explained gently, still holding her in his arms. "But I was wrong. It was never about location, or timing, or what I said and did. It was only ever about you. And how" – he took a shaky breath – "how deeply in love with you I am."

Rose didn't say anything, hanging on his words, like she somehow sensed the importance of this moment.

"Everything in my life," Scorpius went on. "It's never been about where I am, or what I'm doing, it's always been, and will _always_ be, about you, Rose. You _are_ my everything. I love you, I want to be with you – for as long as I live – and I never want to lose you."

Rose looked as breathlessly excited as Hermione had. Like her mother, if she really hadn't realised before then, Rose suddenly knew what was about to happen.

Scorpius dropped his hands, reaching into his pocket for what felt like the hundredth time that evening, and felt the familiar velvet of the ring box. Rose dropped her hand too, looking innocently enthralled by it all.

Scorpius didn't say anything else. He just took a deep breath, calmed his shaking hands, and sank down to the ground, resting on one knee.

Rose looked to be holding her breath, unable to really take in what was happening.

Finally, Scorpius was able to remove the box from his pocket. He opened it up carefully, revealing the beautiful diamond ring it had encased all evening. And even though his knee was digging into the cold, dirty stone of the London street, Scorpius felt like he was floating on air.

"Rose Weasley," he announced, confident, formal, and full of adoration, "please grant me the greatest of honours, make me the happiest man alive, and save me the future embarrassment of ever having to make these atrocious rambling speeches ever again – will you marry me, Rose?"

Scorpius didn't even have time to let a wave of fear crash over him, at the possibility that, after all that, she might still say no, because before he knew it, her hands had flown to her mouth, she was struggling not cry, and was nodding her head furiously.

"Yes," she gasped. "Oh God, _yes._ Yes, yes – a thousand times, yes!"

Scorpius rose to his feet, unable to contain his excitement. The ring slid onto her finger easily, and Scorpius didn't even have time to return the box to his pocket, before Rose was flinging her arms around him, so energetically that he momentarily lifted her off her feet.

When he returned her to the ground (only physically, of course, because now they were both walking on air), Rose took hold of his lapels again, looking rather frantic.

Scorpius wanted to laugh in delight, he wanted to kiss her, and he never wanted to let her go.

"That's what all this has been about!" she accused. "You – and – and Albus – and my mum – and _oh my gosh_."

It was difficult for Scorpius to really understand what she was saying.

"You _knew_ why this date was special," she said excitedly. "You knew it was the five year anniversary of our first kiss – you planned it all – you were only pretending to have forgotten!"

Scorpius hesitated only for a second. "Yep," he lied. "I – I thought, as our relationship's been a bit confusing over the years, and we've never really commemorated a day as our 'official anniversary,' I might as well make it today – five years on from our first romantic encounter. March 15th," he said proudly.

 _March 15_ _th_ – he was going to have to make a note of that.

It was true, they'd never really pinpointed a specific date in order to celebrate their relationship. They had the date of their first kiss, the day they'd first gotten together, the day they'd first said 'I love you,' the day they'd gotten back together after a one week breakup, the day they'd gotten together after a year and a half of separation, thought only for a trial run, the day they'd decided to label their trial relationship as a full-fledged relationship once more… The list went on.

"You're serious though?" Scorpius asked her, still entwined, suddenly panicked. "You – you actually want to marry me? To be my wife?"

"More than anything!"

"Because if you're not sure, Rose – if you're not a hundred percent sure that you want to do this – or if you think it's too soon, or –"

Rose pulled his head towards her, and kissed him, probably more passionately than was necessarily polite in public. The doorman averted his eyes.

"I love you so much," Scorpius breathed into her lips, when finally, they broke apart, though only a couple of inches.

"I love you too," Rose whispered back. She looked suddenly excited again. "I'm getting married. _We're_ getting married. I'm going to be a bride!"

Scorpius laughed gently at her enthusiasm, longing to kiss her again.

"Oh my gosh," Rose said suddenly. "My family – my dad –"

"I asked your dad for permission, Rose," Scorpius interrupted, still traumatised by the memory.

"You did?"

"Of course," he grinned. "I wanted to get this right."

"Oh gosh," she giggled, "you must have been terrified!"

"Never more frightened in my whole life."

"And it went okay?" she asked warily, biting her lip. "He was okay with it, right?"

"Rose, if your father didn't want me to marry you, do you really think I'd have had the balls to ask you, in spite of it?"

She raised a teasing eyebrow. "I thought I was your _everything._ "

"You are. And you're right," Scorpius said, with a wicked grin, "I probably would have done it anyway. And I would have gone into hiding, immediately after…"

"But seriously," Rose asked, desperate for reassurance, "it went alright?"

"Well, when you say 'alright…'"

"Oh God, Scorpius, what did you _do?"_

Scorpius gulped, looking sheepish. "I, ah, I may have called your dad a 'fruity little cocktail…'"

Rose stared at him, incredulous, trying to decipher whether he was joking or not. But she just shook her head, laughing. "Of course you did."

Scorpius joined in.

"And for the record," Rose said flirtatiously, "about never having to do those 'atrocious rambling speeches' ever again? You honestly think, now that we're engaged, you don't have to whisper sweet nothings to me anymore?"

"I don't think I've _ever_ whispered sweet nothings to you, Rose," Scorpius retaliated cheerily. "I mean, I've certainly _tried_ , but I'm not sure I've ever been too successful."

"Well," she said in a low voice, pulling him in for another kiss, "you can start tonight."

It was a good job the doorman had averted his gaze, and the Muggles within the Harmonia Gardens were too absorbed in their own conversations to glance out the window. Because at that moment, Rose and Scorpius disapparated, still kissing, back to Scorpius' apartment, newly engaged.

Scorpius really hoped Albus would be out for the night.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:** Yes, there was a sneaky reference to Monica and Chandler's proposal from Friends ;)_


	4. The Planning

**Chapter 4 – The Planning**

"I've made a list of all the things that could go wrong at our wedding."

Scorpius looked up from where he'd been reading the Daily Prophet, legs draped casually over the side of his armchair, with great amusement. "Excuse me?"

"Our wedding," Rose repeated, looking at him like he was stupid. "I've made a list of all the things that –"

"No, no," Scorpius interrupted, still thoroughly amused, "I heard you."

Rose looked irritated. "Then why –"

"I'm just trying to figure out if you're joking or not."

Scorpius swung himself round so he was sat in the chair properly, and carefully placed the Prophet on the coffee table.

They were in Rose and Taylor's lounge, the latter being at work. It was midday that afternoon, approximately a month after Scorpius had proposed, and two months since he'd asked Ron and Hermione for permission.

They were supposed to be making wedding plans, but so far, Scorpius hadn't been taking it seriously.

Rose was looking at him furiously. "Stop laughing," she ordered. "It's not _funny_ ; I'm being deadly serious."

"That's _why_ it's funny," Scorpius goaded her, knowing he probably shouldn't. "Rose, sweetie," he said more affectionately, "you need to relax – it's just a wedding."

" _Just a wedding?"_

"Okay, you know I didn't mean it like that," Scorpius hurriedly corrected. "But really, shouldn't we be thinking more about the boring, practical stuff – the flowers, the colour scheme, the cake, and whatever – rather than the things that _might_ go wrong? Let me see this list anyway."

He reached forward to take the list from her, but Rose snatched it away, glaring at him.

"Do you care _at all_ , about our wedding?" she demanded.

Scorpius retracted his hand, and sat up straight. "Of course I do."

"But you think it's boring?"

"No," Scorpius sighed, "you know I didn't mean it like that."

"So, you keep saying!"

"Rose, I just meant, whilst it clearly _is_ important to you – all those tiny little details about the big day – and don't get me wrong, I _do_ care, I'm just more excited about _being_ married to you rather than, necessarily, the process of _getting_ married to you."

When Rose looked at him with even more fury, Scorpius realised he'd made a huge mistake.

"Ah, there's not going to _be_ a wedding now, is there?" he said good-heartedly.

Rose pursed her lips, but Scorpius could she was struggling to contain her laughter, until she could no longer maintain her fierce façade, and broke out into a smirk.

"Not if you keep referring to it as boring, and taking no interest in it," she replied, falsely sulky.

"Alright," Scorpius humoured, "let me here this list then. Why are you even thinking about all the things that could potentially go wrong?"

Rose instantly perked up. "By making a list of everything that could go wrong, we can therefore do everything in our power to prevent those things from happening," she explained. "We identify the problem, and we remove the risk before it can happen. You see?"

Scorpius nodded, trying to look as serious as possible. "Hit me."

Rose cleared her throat. "Okay, first: you might not show up."

"I – what?"

"You might get cold feet the night before and leave me stranded at the altar," Rose said seriously.

Scorpius was unsure whether to laugh or not. "Please tell me you're joking, Rose?"

Rose glanced down bashfully, a curtain of red hair hiding her blush. "I don't know," she mumbled. "This is a worst-case scenario kind of list… and that's about the worst thing that could possibly happen at our wedding. There wouldn't _be_ a wedding," she said sadly.

"Rose," Scorpius said in bewilderment, laughing uneasily, "I would _never_ do that you – you're not honestly afraid of that happening, are you?"

Rose had started chewing on the end of the pen she'd been writing with. She shrugged. "It's a big commitment – _huge_ – and that might suddenly hit you, right before the wedding, and you could freak out, and –"

Scorpius stretched out a hand, to hold hers across the coffee table. He stroked her knuckles in a soothing manner, staring deep into her eyes. "I know it's a huge commitment," he said softly, "but that doesn't scare me nearly half as much as the thought of living my life alone – _without_ you."

Rose shyly returned his smile. "We're so young though, and let's be honest, we've always sort of rushed into things when it comes to our relationship."

"We don't have to rush," Scorpius suggested. "We could be one of those couples who have a long engagement, you never know."

Rose's shyness had all been displaced, and she looked taken aback. "You don't want to marry me as soon as possible?" she asked in a somewhat hurt voice.

Scorpius, in turn, looked taken aback. Their conversation seemed so back and forth. "Well, yeah, of course, but not if you think we'll be rushing?"

Rose looked thoughtful for a second, still absentmindedly chewing on the end of her pen. "I want to get married in the summer," she decided.

"This summer?" Scorpius asked, for clarification. "As in, August, or something? Four months' time?"

Rose nodded, still looking thoughtful. "Like Teddy and Victoire," she said. "That's the only way the whole family will be able to come. Lily, Serephina, and Hugo will have finished their Seventh Year of Hogwarts by then, and hopefully everybody will be working less. Plus," she said brightly, "it will be beautiful, weather-wise."

"Well, I mean, we can hope it will."

"That's a good point actually," Rose said, suddenly panicked. She scribbled something down on the list of problems, muttering under her breath. _"Weather not sunny…"_

"That's not exactly a 'problem,' is it?" Scorpius laughed gently. "And if it _did_ rain, what exactly would you do to stop it? Actually, come to think of it," he said, "how are you going to prevent the risk of me leaving you stranded at the altar?"

He was asking in humour, of course, but Rose looked serious, her eyes widening.

"We could make an Unbreakable Vow," she said excitedly.

"Merlin's beard, Rose, I was joking!" Scorpius clarified. "I don't think we need to bring magic into this – you have my complete word that I will see this wedding through, even if it's the most miserable, regretful day of my life."

Rose looked alarmed.

"Which it won't be," Scorpius assured her hurriedly. "I'm just saying, _hypothetically,_ if I were to suddenly get cold feet, I would do the honourable thing and see the wedding through," he promised. "And then I'd leave you, quietly and subtly, once all the hype had died down."

Again, Rose looked alarmed.

Scorpius cleared his throat awkwardly. "I, err, I should stop talking, shouldn't I?"

Rose didn't say anything.

"You can – you can cross that one off the list," Scorpius mumbled, pointing to the first problem on the paper. "Should we move on?"

Rose cleared her throat and looked down at the list. "Jinx and Albireo could argue, and cause a scene."

Scorpius nodded thoughtfully. "They've been broken up for good for about five months now, I'm sure they'll be fine."

"Sam and Janey could argue, and cause a scene."

"They haven't broken up, have they?" Scorpius asked uncertainly. They had been more Rose's friends than his at Hogwarts, but he thought he would have heard.

"No," Rose said, "but you know what they're like."

"Touché."

Rose continued with her list. "Bobbin and Roberts could announce their divorce."

" _What?"_

She looked at him pointedly, and shrugged. "Worst case scenario."

"Yeah, but that's just –"

"James and Ebony could announce their divorce."

"Rose –"

"Teddy and Victoire could announce their –"

"Okay, okay, lots of people could announce their divorce," Scorpius interrupted.

"Someone could announce their engagement."

"Who, exactly?" Scorpius asked in amusement. "We don't know anybody who's in a serious enough relationship to be getting married. I mean, Jinx and Albireo are broken up, and James and Ebony are already married. Unless you think Sam and Janey, of course."

"No," Rose dismissed. "No, I can't see that ever happening."

Rose loved Sam and Janey, and she'd always found great fondness and amusement in their love-hate relationship. They'd been at each other's throats for six years before they'd gotten together, and their relationship had never been particularly harmonious, but they were still beautifully committed to each other.

And although Rose loved them, she couldn't see them ever getting married. It wasn't that she necessarily thought they'd break up, but more that, if they did stay together forever, they'd never go through the whole business of officiating it by marriage.

Sam, Rose knew, would definitely want to, but there was no way Janey would. She'd always been deathly afraid of commitment – her relationship with Sam being the most serious thing she'd ever experienced.

"Well, no one else is going to be getting engaged, so you can cross that off your list," Scorpius said. "And why would that even be a problem, anyway?"

"It would completely overshadow me getting married!" Rose protested. "I mean, err, _us."_ She let out a nervous laugh, then looked down, and continued with her list. "Someone announcing their engagement," she mumbled, scanning the paper. "Oh, yeah – someone announcing they're pregnant."

If Scorpius had been drinking something, he would have spat it out.

Rose ignored him, and carried on. "James could get outrageously drunk, and cause a scene."

Scorpius nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, fair enough."

"Janey could draw a lot of unwanted attention, due to her being a 'star' and all. Gwen could draw a lot of unwanted attention due to her Quidditch success. Taylor could draw a lot of unwanted attention due to –"

"I get the point," Scorpius interrupted. "There could be some unwanted attention."

"Our dads could argue, and protest against the marriage."

" _What?"_ Scorpius said. "Rose, that's _not_ going to happen; they're on good terms now. I know they've had their differences, but they're alright now, and you know it. Besides, your father wouldn't have given me permission to even ask you to marry me if he was going to protest the wedding, now, would he?"

Rose shrugged. "He could change his mind."

"Yeah, but –"

"It could turn out we're related somehow," Rose continued down the list, ignoring him.

"I think we can safely assume this is the first time a Weasley and a Malfoy have ever gotten married…"

"We're both from pure-blood families," Rose pointed out, "which means, _somewhere_ along the line, we have shared relations."

"Well, yeah," Scorpius said, "but not in a way that would prevent us from being married."

"I'm just trying to cover _all_ the possibilities," Rose said huffily. She returned to the paper. "Someone could announce their secret, undying love for me right before the vows –"

"Woah, woah, woah, _what?"_

"What?" Rose asked innocently, looking up at Scorpius. "You don't think it capable of someone to harbour a secret, undying love for me?"

"Well, sure, of course" Scorpius spluttered. "I mean, I know _I_ would if it was me, and you were marrying somebody else. But who, exactly, are you expecting to announce they've secretly been in love with you for years?"

Scorpius was highly amused by it all, but Rose didn't look impressed. In fact, she looked offended by his unwillingness to take it seriously. "Well," she said indignantly, "we know Sam used to have a huge crush on me –"

"He's been happily committed to Janey for even longer than _we've_ been together!"

"– and there was that one time when me and Mason kissed and –"

"You said that was a one-time thing and meant nothing!"

"– he could all of a sudden realise he wants another taste, or something."

" _Rose!"_

"Oh, Scorpius," she sighed, "I'm just _saying,_ it's not _so_ crazy that somebody other than yourself might find me attractive, and want to marry me."

"That's not what I was saying, at all! I just –"

"Okay, next point: someone might –"

"Hang on a second," Scorpius interrupted. "If you're putting down that someone might crash the wedding and announce their secret, undying love for you, then don't you think you should put down that someone might announce their secret, undying love for _me,_ too?"

Rose raised her eyebrows. "Yeah, okay, Scorpius," she snorted. "So, anyway, someone might –"

"Hey, I'm being deadly serious!"

Rose stopped again, staring at Scorpius incredulously. "Why, who do you think's in love with you?" she teased.

Scorpius' cheeks filled with colour. "Well, I don't, I'm just _saying_ , as you're making a list of all possibilities, then you might as well…" He trailed off, feeling patronised by Rose's continuing smirk. "Ebony!" he declared suddenly. "Or – or Lily."

Rose raised her eyebrows again. "You think _Ebony's_ secretly in love with you, and wants to crash our wedding? You think _Lily's_ in love with you?"

"No," Scorpius mumbled. "I'm just _saying_ –"

"Yeah, okay, moving on. Someone might try and assassinate Evangeline – if she comes, that is."

Scorpius was still sulking at Rose's cruel dismissal of the idea that someone might secretly declare their love for him.

"Your mother might protest the wedding," Rose continued.

"What?" Scorpius snorted, instantly perking up. "From beyond the grave?"

"Don't you remember how much she hated me, Scorpius?" Rose asked, deadly serious. "She could very well come back as a ghost, or – or a zombie, or a spirit, or something, and put a curse on me! I _wouldn't_ put it past her."

Scorpius had to laugh at that. He loved his mother deeply, of course, but _he_ wouldn't put it past her either. "I'd still marry a cursed girl," he said brightly.

Rose looked flattered.

"So, is that the end of the list?" Scorpius asked.

Rose scanned the piece of paper. "No, just a couple left."

"Good grief, this is going to be the world's most disastrous wedding, at this rate…"

"Our families, in general, could argue –"

"Unlikely."

"– Someone unexpected could hook-up and cause a huge scandal that upstages us –"

"Well, that's _more_ likely to happen."

"– And finally," Rose concluded dramatically, "somebody could die."

She set the piece of paper down on the coffee table with finality. Scorpius observed Rose with a measured expression, afraid to laugh in case she was being deadly serious. It was deeply hard to prevent it; he could feel the edges of his mouth curling upwards.

Rose was eyeing him beadily, just _daring_ him to laugh.

"Someone could – _die?"_ Scorpius repeated, struggling to suppress his laughter.

Rose said nothing.

"From what, exactly?"

"I don't _know_ ," she dismissed, "but it could happen!"

"Well, it's not," Scorpius said firmly, suddenly finding her paranoia disturbing rather than endearing.

"You don't know!"

"I do know that, Rose. I can promise you, one hundred percent, that nobody is going to die at our wedding. All of these problems, in fact – none of that stuff is gonna happen, alright? You need to calm down, relax, and focus on the positives on the day," Scorpius instructed.

Rose felt only mildly reassured by Scorpius' advice. "You mean the practical, _boring_ details?" she asked sarcastically, echoing his previous words.

Scorpius brightened up, now that she was being more light-hearted. "Yeah," he grinned, "exactly that."

"Alright." Rose flicked her hair away from her neck, meaning business. "But you have to help me. I don't care how boring you think all this planning is – this is your wedding too."

"Can't we just elope?" Scorpius suggested, though he was joking. "You know, like James and Ebony? So much less hassle, and a hell of a lot cheaper!"

Rose glared at him. "We _are_ having a proper wedding, and it _will_ be the happiest and most beautiful day of our life, shared with those we love most. Now – planning," she announced.

Scorpius leant back in his armchair. "What will you do if I refuse to help?" he asked, a teasing grin on his face.

"Well, let's put it this way, we'll be one of those celibate couples for all eternity."

Scorpius' eyes widened. "Good Lord, I'll do anything!"

Rose smirked. "Good to know where your priorities lie," she teased. "So anyway, I was thinking of a fairly small ceremony, about a hundred guests or so."

"A hundred?" Scorpius echoed. "A hundred is _small?"_

"Well, yeah, when you think of all the people we _could_ invite. I mean, we both have large families."

" _I_ don't!"

"Well, not closely related, but you come from a very ancient, very noble family, Scorpius. You're pure-blood, after all."

"Yeah, but I don't want to invite any of those people," Scorpius dismissed. "I don't even _know_ my distant family, and somehow, I don't think they'd approve too much of me marrying you. No," he decided firmly, "I only want my dad and my sister there. My grandmother, too, and my grandfather. If he'll come, that is," he gulped. "Which I highly doubt…"

"We'll still invite him," Rose said kindly. "Although, if _my_ grandparents are going to be there, there might be some conflict."

"You think?" Scorpius snorted.

Whilst Draco Malfoy and Ron Weasley were now at peace with their children's relationship, and had since formed a truce, resolving their old differences, Lucius Malfoy and Arthur Weasley had not. And it wasn't just Rose's grandfather; Mr Malfoy still despised the entire Potter-Weasley family.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Rose said firmly. "But you're right – he probably won't come. Anyway – colour scheme?"

"Green, and, err, red?"

"Green and red?" Rose scoffed.

"You know – to represent our houses," Scorpius explained, rather proud of himself for his idea. "Slytherin and Gryffindor."

But Rose was horrified. "Scorpius, it's not _Christmas._ Can't you envision how horrific that would look for a wedding? Do you have any other suggestions? Mud brown, perhaps? Pus yellow?" she asked sarcastically.

"This is exactly why I didn't want to help!"

"Alright, fine," Rose relented. "What about yellow, or something?

"Yellow makes me look washed out," Scorpius said, still sulking.

"Gold, then?"

Scorpius wrinkled his nose.

"Red, blue, orange, pink, purple? You have to give me some kind of hint!"

"Hot pink," Scorpius grunted.

"Really? With _my_ hair colour?"

Scorpius's pout melted into a smirk. "Yeah, I know, I was joking." He heaved himself upright from where he'd slumped down in defeat. "Honestly, Rose, I haven't a clue – you know I'm not good at this stuff."

"Just pick anything," Rose said kindly. "I promise I won't mock you this time. Next thing you suggest, we'll go with, even if it _is_ pus yellow."

Scorpius paused, deep in thought for a moment. "Alright," he said after a while. "Blue, I guess?"

"What kind of blue? Turquoise? Baby? Aqua? Cobalt? Royal? Navy?"

"Midnight."

Rose broke into a smile, proud of Scorpius. "Good choice," she praised. "We can work with that."

Scorpius instantly perked up with her compliment. "What's next?" he asked, more eagerly than before.

"Location."

"Hogwarts?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Bobbin and Roberts got married at Hogwarts!" Scorpius protested.

"Yes, but she's the headmistress, and he's the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor."

"I don't know, then? Somewhere outside, maybe? We could go to the beach, or put a tent up in the garden."

Rose didn't look thrilled by his ideas. Although she wasn't normally too vain and self-absorbed when it came to things, and was much more content with small, homely situations, she longed for a wedding as grand and beautiful as she'd always dreamed. She would only ever get one wedding, after all.

And whilst Teddy and Victoire's had been cosy and romantic, in the garden of the Burrow, Rose longed for something bigger.

"I guess we can look at venues later," Rose decided. "We should probably think about the guest list."

"And the honeymoon," Scorpius said wickedly.

Rose ignored him. "Have you thought about who you want as your best man?"

"Yep," Scorpius confirmed. "Albus."

"Perfect."

And it was. Being both Scorpius' best friend, and Rose's cousin, the bridal couple were incredibly significant to the youngest Potter boy. The three of them had been an inseparable trio at Hogwarts, even sometimes compared to the likes of Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"You should ask him soon," Rose suggested, "and I can think about my bridesmaids."

"Ah." Scorpius looked sheepish. "I kind of already have."

"What, chosen _my_ bridesmaids?"

"No, no," he clarified, "I mean, I've already asked Albus if he'll be my best man. He said 'yes,' of course."

"You asked him without even asking _me?"_ Rose demanded, looking hurt.

Scorpius struggled to understand her upset. It wasn't like he'd thought she'd have a problem with him asking Albus. In fact, who else would she have even considered him asking?

"Err, yes? Is that a problem?" he asked uncertainly.

"No," Rose dismissed, but she was pouting, letting Scorpius know she meant otherwise. "I just thought, you know, we'd make decisions about our wedding _together._ "

"But it's – it's _my_ best man," Scorpius said incredulously, not understanding her attitude in the slightest. "Aren't you happy that I asked Albus?"

"Yes, obviously," Rose replied, rolling her eyes.

Well, Scorpius decided, that was certainly the last time he was going to do anything regarding their wedding, without consulting Rose first.

"Anyway, guest list," Rose piped up, letting her mild aggravation towards him pass. "I know you don't want many people from your family, but I've got a _lot_ of people in my family, and they'll all want to come. And I was thinking – do you think we should invite any of the Hogwarts staff, or would that be too weird?"

Scorpius considered it. "Maybe not everybody," he suggested. "Bobbin and Roberts, obviously, and Professor Longbottom, but maybe just them."

Rose nodded in agreement, back to chewing on the end of her pen. She began scribbling names down eagerly. "Do you think Evangeline and Piper would come?"

Evangeline Amberry and Piper (who apparently had no last name) were two highly special cases when it came to Rose and Scorpius' lives. Evangeline had been the temporary roommate of Rose and her friends in Fourth Year, Evangeline herself being a couple of years older, and only a temporary guest at Hogwarts, on account of the fact that she was the heir to the Russian monarchy in the wizarding community, and had been in hiding whilst dark wizards hunted, and tried to assassinate, her…

And Piper's involvement in their life was even more confusing. On a reckless adventure to reunite Evangeline with her parents (now deceased), Rose, Scorpius, and a whole team of their closest friends, had come across Piper in a cursed forest, where she'd held a dagger to Sam's throat and threatened to kill them…

Rose considered them to be two of her most invaluable friends.

"Would that even be safe?" Scorpius asked worriedly. "For Evangeline? Is she allowed to travel?"

Where Evangeline went, Piper went too. But to Rose's knowledge, since returning to Russia, they'd never left the country.

"We can still send them an invite," Rose said. "But it won't be the end of the world if they don't come. Who else?"

"Bobbin's Army," Scorpius said with fond amusement.

'Bobbin's Army' had been the name of the group they'd created before embarking on their crazy mission, a parody of 'Dumbledore's Army,' which Rose's parents had been involved in.

Rose returned his smile, thinking back to their time at Hogwarts. "Okay." She poised her pen on the piece of paper. "Give me names."

"Well, other than the obvious ones – all your cousins, and stuff, and the people we're still in contact with – there were the other Prefects. The Hufflepuffs: Annabel and Tom. And the Ravenclaws: Isabella and Henry."

Rose's eyes widened. "We _can't_ invite Henry and Isabella Fontayne."

"Why not?"

"Can you not remember the _huge_ drama between them and Sam and Janey?" Rose asked shrilly.

It had been a huge, vindictive mess, with Sam and Janey going out of their way to sabotage the other's relationship with the respective half of the brother-sister Ravenclaw duo, all before _they'd_ gotten together, of course. It had all been out of jealously, but Rose was certain the tensions would still prevail. Janey did _not_ forgive so easily, and Isabella represented everything she hated.

"It's not _their_ wedding," Scorpius reminded Rose bitterly.

"What, are you saying you _want_ them there? I can't say I'm particularly bothered with them coming."

"I don't know," Scorpius shrugged. "I mean, I was a Prefect with them for three years, after all. I _kind of_ got to knew them."

Truthfully, Scorpius just wanted more involvement in the wedding than he currently did. He didn't have a lot of links to people who Rose didn't, and as he didn't want to invite a lot of his family, he just wanted someone there to make up his half of the guests.

"No," Rose said firmly, much to Scorpius' anger. "And I don't think we should invite the Hufflepuff Prefects either. Annabel's Albus' ex-girlfriend, after all, and it will be really awkward for him."

Scorpius, feeling hard done by, decided to invite them all anyway. Rose would be so excited on the big day that she probably wouldn't even notice.

"What about any of your old Quidditch buddies?" Rose asked.

Scorpius very nearly snorted. "Old Quidditch buddies?" he repeated in amusement. "Definitely not."

"Not even Deneb?" Rose teased.

Scorpius frowned. "Rose, that's not even funny."

Deneb Jacobson had been in the year above Rose and Scorpius – Slytherin Quidditch Keeper, tall, dark, and handsome, womaniser, and general ominous character. Scorpius loathed him intensely. Many a time he had tried to pick up Rose.

"No, I was joking," she clarified.

"Can we take a break from this?" Scorpius asked suddenly, bored out of his mind. He _was_ interested in the wedding planning, despite what Rose thought, but he suddenly felt discouraged by his lack of friends outside those he shared with Rose.

"Of course," she said politely.

Rose made her way over to Scorpius, still sat in the armchair, to sit on his lap and embrace him. "We made good progress," she praised, planting a kiss on his cheek.

Scorpius rubbed her back soothingly. "I didn't know it would be this much work," he confessed sheepishly.

"Well," Rose said kindly, "you're doing a great job."

Scorpius knew she was lying, but he appreciated her reassurance anyway. "Can I throw this list away then?" he asked teasingly, reaching for her list of drastic things that could go wrong at their wedding.

"Only if you promise me that none of them will come true."

"It's okay that you're anxious about the wedding, Rose, but really, I _can_ promise you that this is a little extreme."

"Okay," she finally conceded. "You can bin it."

This time it was Scorpius who planted a kiss on Rose's cheek. He screwed the paper up, and tossed it into the bin across the room, with the ease of a Quidditch Chaser.

Little did either of them know that, shockingly, almost every problem on Rose's list would occur.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:** I've not abandoned this story, don't worry. It's just been a really crazy busy time for me, so I've been getting a bit behind. The missing chapters will be uploaded in addition to the new one (hopefully some time this week) - sorry :(_


	5. The Prophecy

_**Author's Note:** The references to 'Chicago' and 'Copacabana' in this chapter obviously have nothing to do with me (other than the former being one of my favourite musicals, and the latter a well-loved song!) - what I mean to say is, they do not belong to me, nor do the characters associated with them, which are also referenced_

* * *

 **Chapter 5 – The Prophecy**

The date was set. The invitations were sent. The wedding of Rose and Scorpius was looming ever nearer.

As the days ticked down to her wedding day, Rose found herself experiencing a permanent high. Finding herself going from job-to-job since Hogwarts, struggling to find something she wanted to engage in for the rest of her life, and feeling disheartened with each new failure, Rose suddenly found her life had glorious meaning.

Every passing day was consumed by wedding planning – finally something Rose could fully throw herself into. Scorpius was being less than helpful, but in some ways this was better for Rose. She finally had something to focus all her energy into, her own personal project, of sorts.

Meeting with caterers, flower-arrangers, dressmakers, and all number of wedding-task-related people, Rose had shunned the hiring of an official wedding planner, instead taking on all the tasks and responsibilities herself, often dragging a reluctant Hermione into the mix (and sometimes an even more reluctant Ron). It wasn't that her parents weren't thrilled for their daughter's impending nuptials, or that she was choosing to involve them in the planning of it all, it was just that they were highly busy at work, and it was becoming clear to everybody that Rose was rapidly becoming _obsessed._

Even Scorpius could not pretend, enamoured by his fiancée as he was, that it was an endearing, romantically-fuelled excitement that Rose was demonstrating, but instead an obsessive, almost neurotic, fixation.

But how could he take this away from her? Taking a backseat whilst all her friends achieved such glory, living the lives they'd always dreamed of, and garnering noticeable success in the process, Rose had been feeling thoroughly depressed as of late, and finally she had something to focus on which filled her life with excitement.

Rose had always been an exemplar student, well-liked and well-renowned by everybody at Hogwarts, and though she had never been proud or self-righteous about it, the removal of such appreciation had clearly been noticeable within her life. For the first time in her life, Rose Weasley wasn't anything particularly _special_ – at least, not in her own mind.

But now she was. Besides from a hasty elopement on behalf of Rose's cousin James, and his then-girlfriend, now-wife, Ebony (of which the shock of had thoroughly died down over the years), none of Rose's friends were married. None of them had been proposed to; none of them had walked the aisle; none of them had had the glory and honour of being a bride.

Rose was the first. She was accomplished, desired, _special_ once more, and what kind of partner would Scorpius be if he deprived Rose of such glory?

Although, it had to be said, her behaviour as of late had been a bit unnerving…

He was almost grateful when the date rolled round for Rose to meet up with her old school friends for lunch. Pulled in different directions, the four girls who'd branded themselves as the 'Gryffin-Girls' during their time at Hogwarts, rarely got to see each other all together anymore. Obviously, Taylor and Rose, as they lived together, saw each other every day, but as for the other two, it was certainly a rare opportunity.

Rose was ecstatic to see them all again, and Scorpius was ecstatic that Rose would finally have someone besides himself to talk about the wedding with. He loved Rose, he really did, and the wedding was special to him, but she just seemed to be taking it to new heights of excitement – of which Scorpius could not quite reciprocate. He was highly busy with his position at St. Mungo's, just about drawing his training to a close, and focusing all his energy into his work rather than his wedding was certainly taking priority. And besides, with Rose as obsessed as she was, did Scorpius really need to take _that_ much interest in the wedding planning?

No, he assured himself; Rose had it all under control.

"Is that Janey Davington?" Taylor McAdams drawled in an overly exaggerated manner, lowering her sunglasses. _"The_ Janey Davington? The famous, _elusive_ , Janey Davington?"

"Ha-ha," the girl in question replied sarcastically, as she strode towards them.

Janey had always been glamorous (Rose recalled how startled she'd been when the eleven-year-old had first strode into their dorm room, skirt obscenely short, golden hoops dangling from her ears, and a disturbingly vivid blue eyeshadow smeared across her eyelids), but now as an adult, Rose, and everybody around her, felt positively breathless at Janey's presence.

The twenty-year-old blonde was no taller than she had been at Hogwarts (an endearing but feisty five foot 2), her lightly tanned skin still as soft and dewy as her teenaged self's, and her hair still an A-line bob with that infamous fringe, very Victoria Beckham esque (not that Rose knew who that was). Even though the sun was scorching on that day in July, Janey was dressed in black leggings and a black turtle neck jumper, accompanied by a white fur gilet (Rose hoped it was fake), and black ankle boots. Oversized sunglasses with white rims, an equally oversized white leather handbag with some designer logo (Chanel, or something? – Rose subconsciously thought), and clutching a coffee cup with 'Starbucks' written on it, Janey smiled at her old friends.

Rose had never felt so underdressed.

There was something else about Janey too. Even though her entire ensemble screamed wealth and sophistication, it was the way in which she held herself that Rose found glamorous. There was a confidence about Janey – contentment – that she'd been lacking at Hogwarts. Rose felt pride at such a small but significant change (and though she'd admit it to no one, slight envy).

"What up, bitches?"

Rose and Taylor had flung their arms around Janey before she'd even had a chance to put her half-finished coffee down.

"Hey, hey, hey, watch it!" she squealed. "This is _designer._ "

But there was laughter in her small frame, as she hugged them back with equal enthusiasm. The three of them broke apart and settled back down at the table Taylor and Rose had previously been waiting at. Because of the glorious weather, they had opted to stay outside, reserving a round table at some café-style Muggle restaurant on the outskirts of London. Rose had wanted to go to Diagon Alley; it had been at Janey's insistence that they go to a Muggle place, although her reasoning hadn't been made clear.

"My God, what is _that?"_ Janey drawled in an as exaggerated voice as Taylor had, stretching out a perfectly manicured hand to inspect Rose's engagement ring. "Miss Weasley, I do believe 'congratulations' are in order!"

Rose never ceased to feel a little flutter of exhilaration whenever anybody referred to the fact that she was engaged. Because of everybody's hectic, conflicting schedules, she and Scorpius hadn't been able to have an official engagement party (much to Rose's upset), so this was the first time she was seeing her old friends since the announcement had been made.

Janey had known, of course – Rose had made sure that _everyone_ knew she and Scorpius were engaged – but Rose still found her act of surprise incredibly flattering.

"What took you so long?" Janey asked, having sufficiently admired Rose's ring. She took a sip of her coffee.

"I – what?"

She shrugged – in true Janey fashion. "I don't know; I just always assumed you and Scorpius would get hitched ASAP. I'm surprised you didn't pull a 'Jebony' during Seventh Year."

Rose smiled. "I think, for once, we needed to _not_ do something so hasty. And besides, my dad would have killed me…"

"He'd have killed Scorpius, actually," Taylor piped up.

"Still," Janey said, "it is a _little_ hasty, don't you think? I mean, you're only twenty, after all, and given your guys' track record, deciding to get married so young might not be _such_ a great –"

"I think Rose and Scorpius are more than ready," Taylor cut in, noticing the look of panic that had flitted into Rose's eyes. Taylor stole an awkward glance at the girl, who was staring wide-eyed at Janey, hanging on her every word.

"Yeah, I guess," Janey said with another shrug. "If it's right for you guys then it's fine. I just, I don't _get_ marriage. Other than the wedding, I don't _really_ see what the big deal is."

 _Same old Janey,_ Rose thought with fondness, starting to perk up again. Marriage wasn't right for everybody, but it was right for Rose and Scorpius. Janey's unwillingness didn't dissuade her; Rose had always known of Janey's struggle with commitment, after all. But that made her think.

"How's Sam?" Rose asked kindly.

"Who?"

Rose was taken aback. "Err, Sam?" She glanced at Taylor, just in case she'd been wildly wrong. "You're… you're boyfriend…"

"Oh, _yeah_ ," Janey said, realisation dawning. "Him? Yeah, he's fine." She took another casual sip from her coffee cup, her expression unreadable behind her huge sunglasses.

Rose was a little alarmed by Janey's casual disregard of the boy she'd been dating for the past three years, and living with for the past six months or so. Just how casual was their relationship, exactly?

"Anyway," Taylor spoke up, looking a little snide about the talk of relationships (other than a brief fling with some guy from work, Taylor hadn't been in a serious relationship during her adulthood), "back to this whole 'famous, elusive' thing – where the hell have you been!?"

Janey offered a cool smirk as she finally removed her sunglasses. Rose was unsurprised to find her makeup done to perfection – black eyeliner making her eyes look even more feline than they already did. "Broadway, baby," she answered in an American accent. "Well," she spoke in her normal lilt again, "the West End, actually. But it's only a matter of time." She offered them a wink.

"That's good, right?" Rose asked, unsure what either 'Broadway' or the 'West End' _really_ was.

Janey raised her eyebrows. "Rose, that's freaking amazing. Not that I'm trying to blow my own horn," she insisted, "but it's a pretty big deal in Muggle show business."

"But don't you miss the wizarding world?" Rose asked. As glorious as Janey made show business sound, even though Rose had never seen the appeal herself, how could it possibly compare to _real_ magic?

"Well, sure, I mean, I miss _Hogwarts,_ of course I do, but that chapter of my life is over now, isn't it? I've loved my time as a witch, but it's time to move on."

Both Rose and Taylor slipped into frowns.

"You're time as a witch is _over?"_ Taylor asked in disbelief. "You mean you live like a Muggle? You don't _ever_ use magic?"

"Well, what would I need it for?" Janey asked innocently. "I went eleven years without it, I learnt how to do some pretty cool spells and stuff, and now I'm living my dream. There's no place for magic in my life – no need for it."

"What about Sam?" Rose asked wildly, deeply unnerved by Janey's willingly magic-free life. Rose supposed it was different for Janey, as she'd been raised by Muggles, whereas Rose had always been surrounded by magic, but still, it was so difficult to comprehend.

"I don't know; he doesn't really need it either, does he?"

Before either Taylor or Rose could further protest Janey's surreal confession, the final member of their quartet arrived. Tall, strong, and beautiful, Gwendolyn 'Gwen' Jones approached their table, dressed much more casually than Janey, in a simple but elegant summer dress.

The three of them leapt to their feet, squealing excitedly, much to the surrounding Muggles' shock, racing to enfold Gwen in a tight hug. Janey knocked her coffee over in the process, but didn't seem to mind.

"Gryffin-Girls reunited, Gryffin-Girls reunited!" Janey kept chanting over and over again.

When Gwen was realised, and finally able to breathe again, they settled down at their table once more, the sun shining down on the old school friends like a happy blessing.

"Congratulations," Gwen gushed to Rose, before anything else could be said, she too reaching out to admire the engagement ring.

Rose beamed, happy to show it off once more.

"There's something different about you," Janey piped up, looking fondly at Gwen. "Don't tell me – you got a tan?"

Gwen looked deeply bemused, her skin, of course, being naturally and beautifully dark in tone.

"I'm _kidding_ ," Janey said drily, rolling her eyes. " _I_ know what it is. It might just be because" – she rummaged inside her handbag and withdrew a magazine – " _someone_ happens to be a huge Quidditch star!" She slammed the magazine down on the table with great excitement.

The others craned their necks to see. Gwen's face was sprawled across the cover – some Quidditch magazine Rose had never particularly immersed herself in.

Gwen offered a humble smile. "I didn't know you'd seen that."

"Oh, yeah, like one of my best friends is on the cover of a freaking magazine and I wouldn't know about it!"

"I thought you weren't interested in magic?" Taylor said suspiciously.

"Yeah, but I'm interested in _magazines_ ," Janey retaliated. "Especially when Gwen's on the cover!"

"It's only because of my mum," Gwen insisted; her mum being the legendary ex-player for the Holyhead Harpies, Gwenog Jones. "I mean, my team's not that big a deal – it's not like we're a proper league team or anything – but because I'm taking after my mum, who was obviously _huge_ in Quidditch, and I'm supposedly a 'rising star' on the pitch, they wanted me to do it. It was just a small-ish interview thing, and the cover obviously."

"That's incredible, Gwen," Rose breathed, a little embarrassed that she hadn't known about the interview.

Gwen shrugged, still smiling humbly. "It's pretty cool," she admitted.

"So when did you get back?" Rose asked. Gwen's Quidditch team had been 'on tour' over Europe, attending seminars and training sessions, playing friendly matches and getting to know other people in the business.

"Only yesterday, actually – sorry I couldn't make it earlier."

"It's fine," Rose insisted.

"Yeah, we'll just revolve our lives around you, _Your Highness,_ " Janey scoffed, though not snidely.

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Hey, it's not like I'm famous or anything."

"Not yet," Taylor said kindly. "But you never know, if you _do_ end up joining the Harpies –"

"Then I'll only be following in my mother's footsteps," Gwen finished with a frown. "I'd love to, of course, and I know I'm seriously considering it, but I'm just worried I'll be branded as a carbon copy of my mum, you know?"

Rose didn't know how to reply. Partially she was envious that Gwen's career was having such roaring success, when she herself didn't evenhave a steady job. And partially she was a little aggravated that the glory of her engagement didn't seem to be the sole focus of their gathering…

"I think you should go for it," Taylor advised. "Who cares if you're following in your mum's footsteps? You're _not_ your mum – everybody admires you for who you are – and you shouldn't compromise your career just because you're worried about something like that."

Gwen considered it. "I've not even applied for tryouts yet," she said thoughtfully. "I guess it wouldn't hurt. I might not even make it that far, and I guess if I do I'll just have to make a decision when the time comes."

Rose was twiddling her engagement ring around on her finger, admiring the way it caught the sunlight. Janey was watching her suspiciously. "What exactly are _you_ doing, Rose?"

"Hmm?"

"For a job…"

Rose felt flustered. "I'm, err, you know, I'm still looking for something that interests me."

"I thought you worked at the library in Diagon Alley?" Gwen piped up.

"Oh, no, that was only temporary."

"What happened to Gringotts?" Janey demanded.

"Umm, yeah, that was temporary too."

"But the Ministry job, then? Wasn't that –"

"I was actually thinking about doing a trial run at St. Mungo's," Rose interrupted, embarrassed by all her failed careers. And they had only named a few. "You know, as a Healer, alongside Scorpius."

"No," Janey said with fierce defiance. "No, you can't – you shouldn't _ever_ work alongside your partner."

"What?" Rose asked, thinking of her parents. They both worked in the Ministry, after all. "Don't… don't you and Sam work together?"

"Who?"

"Your _boy_ –"

"I'm just kidding," Janey interrupted, smirking. "No, we don't work alongside together. Not _exactly_. It's not like he's an actor – he's never on stage with me or anything."

Rose wasn't entirely sure what Sam _did_ do – she saw him only as often as she saw Janey. He supported her in her lifestyle, Rose knew that much, but was unsure of the details. From what she'd gathered (Janey very much liked to talk about herself), Sam acted more as a sort of manager for his girlfriend – handling the trivial, mundane aspects of her life as a star. How fulfilling he truly found it, Rose wasn't so sure, but she'd never really talked to him about it.

"Don't work with your partner," Janey was still saying. "It's rule number one. You'll be with him _every day;_ you'll never get away from him."

"I'm… marrying him," Rose reminded her, slightly defensive. "I've kind of already signed up for spending every day of my life with him."

"I think it's a great idea," Gwen said kindly. "You never know – it could be really nice working together."

But Rose was hesitant once more. Janey had a fair point – working alongside Scorpius whilst also living with him might put too much of a strain on their relationship, rather than make it better. They'd never experienced living together, after all – that was all to come after they'd made their vows.

"And if that doesn't work out, like I've said _many times_ ," Taylor said sarcastically, "you'd be more than welcome to partner up with me at the Ministry."

"Taylor –" Rose began.

"McWeasley is real and it's happening, don't try and fight it, Rose."

Rose just rolled her eyes in response. Taylor had gone straight into work at the Ministry of Magic after graduating from Hogwarts. Initially working in Hermione's department, all with her lifelong intent to prove her father's innocence and have him acquitted of the charges that had landed him in Azkaban when she was a child, Taylor had swiftly worked her way up through the ranks of the Ministry. She was the wizarding equivalent of a lawyer, and having succeeded in clearing her father's name of all charges, gained notable attention in the community and the media.

Rose, as her friend, roommate, and because she had been out of a job at the time, had worked alongside Taylor during the case. Rose had picked up a lot from her own parents' work, though it differed slightly to what Taylor was doing, and because she herself had succeeded in winning a court case against her own father, when she was fifteen and trying to prove her misunderstood boyfriend wasn't a Death Eater.

Strictly speaking, Rose wasn't really supposed to have been at Scorpius' trial, and probably didn't really contribute much to the outcome, but still, her experience in court had made Taylor eager for Rose to assist her.

Although it had been Taylor who'd commandeered the glory and success, Rose had been heavily featured in the media coverage of it all as well – perhaps because she was the daughter of such well-known contributors to the wizarding community, and because she'd had such heavy media attention during Scorpius' hearing – often cited as a sidekick, assistant, or even a partner to Taylor.

'McWeasley,' they'd been branded – a mashup of their surnames, 'McAdams' and 'Weasley' – much to Taylor's amusement, and Rose's indifference. Taylor had been desperately trying to convince Rose to officially team up with her and become a 'kickass wizarding lawyer duo."

Honestly? Rose had had a lot of fun working alongside Taylor. But she was reluctant to take her up on her offer, for several reasons. Firstly, similar to Gwen, Rose felt like she'd be following in her parents' footsteps too much. They'd both of them always worked for the Ministry; in different ways, of course, but still – Rose felt like people would view it as the 'safe' option. Secondly, although the girl in question was ecstatic at the idea, Rose felt like she'd be copying Taylor too much. It had always been Taylor's dream to go into wizarding law and politics, not Rose's. Rose felt like she wanted something to truly call her own, and not just to draw off of other people's success.

She opened her mouth to dispute Taylor's comment, but at that moment a waiter appeared at their table, pen poised to take their order. He was around mid-twenties, a Muggle, Rose assumed, and eyeing up Janey with a look of deep appreciation.

Well, that was no different either, Rose thought fondly. Janey had always caught the boys' attention, and being involved with Sam hadn't changed that. She was dedicated to her boyfriend, of course she was, but that didn't mean people weren't still enamoured by her. And dressed the way she was, she _did_ look like rather a big deal compared to the rest of them.

"A salad," Janey ordered, not even looking at the waiter. She pointed to something on the menu. "This one. Oh, and a diet coke."

"A _salad?"_ Taylor asked in disgust, once the rest of them had placed their orders and the waiter had departed.

"What?"

"Janey, we were friends for seven years – do you know how many meals I shared with you? When have you ever settled for just a _salad?"_

"Do you have any idea how many carbs there were in those Hogwarts feasts?" Janey countered, looking down her nose at Taylor. "I'm watching my figure."

"That's absurd," Rose protested. Janey was perfectly in proportion to her short height; she always had been, and she likely always would be.

"That's show business."

Before any of them could protest further, the waiter had reappeared with their drinks. He was grinning ecstatically, for a reason that became apparent when he nervously, but just as excitedly, addressed Janey. "Excuse me, miss? But you're not… you're not _Janey_ _Davington_ , by any chance, are you?"

Janey finally turned to look at the young man, a flattered smile creeping out. "The very woman herself," she answered charmingly.

The excitement further increased within the waiter's demeanour. "Can I have your autograph?" he burst out.

Janey grinned, agreed, and scrawled her looping signature on a coffee-stained napkin that had been on the table before any of them had arrived. Gwen, Taylor, and Rose all watched, frozen, jaws hanging down, as Janey handed the sodden napkin to the waiter, who held it and looked at it like it was a cheque for a million pounds.

"Thank you," he managed to get out, still in awe of the napkin in his hands. "Thank you. Wow, you're – you're so – and –"

"Can we get our food as soon as possible, please?" Taylor interrupted furiously.

"Of course," the waiter murmured in apology, before offering Janey a hasty bow-like nod, and hurrying back into the café.

"Did you… pay him to do that?" Gwen asked uncertainly, as the group of girls processed what had just happened.

"Certainly not!" Janey denied. "I have _fans_ , you know – it's not just you."

Rose didn't know what to say. They didn't really have a wizarding alternative to 'show business.' They had songstresses, of course, and wizarding bands, but not theatre, and certainly not film or television. Janey's success was lost on all of them.

"But – but –" Rose stuttered.

"Just look around you," Janey calmly ordered.

The three of them obeyed, and Rose knew at once what Janey was referring to. The Muggles at the other outdoor tables were now all murmuring excitedly, perhaps because of what they'd just witnessed, or perhaps because they too recognised Janey in her own right.

"Roxie's done wonders for my career," Janey said brightly, soaking up the glory as much as she seemed to be soaking up the sun.

"Who?" Rose asked sharply. Her first thought was of her cousin, Roxanne, but what did she have to do with Janey? Her second thought, and Rose felt foolish as soon as she acknowledged what she was thinking, was that Janey had had a baby and not told them. (Not that she'd ever tell Scorpius, but Rose was still thinking about her list of 'worst case wedding scenarios' – of which Janey revealing she had an illegitimate child was definitely featured).

"Roxie Hart," Janey replied, a little smug, and a little offended. "The main character in _Chicago_ , whom I've portrayed in the show's revival, four nights a week for the past two years, which none of you even bothered to come and see."

The other three Gryffin-Girls began blushing and mumbling apologies. 'Roxie' and 'Chicago' – names that meant nothing to Rose, but were clearly important in Janey's world.

"Well, you know, I've not been in the country very much," Gwen apologised, "but I promise, as soon as I have some time, I'll come and –"

"You can't," Janey said calmly. "It's over; I'm not portraying Roxie anymore. My last show was a couple of nights ago.

"You – you were fired?" Rose breathed, completely devastated for Janey.

But the blonde girl just snorted. "Good lord, Rose, _no_ , of course not! My contract was only for two years, and believe me, that's a pretty long run. The world of show business if always moving; roles are ever-changing."

"So what will you do now?"

"I just got cast as Lola for _Copacabana_ – the West End again," Janey explained proudly, answering Rose's question. "They've not done a stage production of it in years, and I was personally selected for the role, given my work in _Chicago._ It's going to be huge!"

She was met with four blank faces.

Janey rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, really? _Copacabana?_ That song by Barry Manilow?" To their horror, she began to sing. _"Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl, with yellow feathers in her hair, and a dress cut down to_ – oh, forget it!"

"That sounds… great, Janey," Rose eventually said.

"Oh, and that's not all," Janey went on, her excitement growing with each new thing. "Depending on how successful _Copacabana_ is, there's talk of me maybe getting an audition to be in a film. A real, actual film! A big part, as well – alongside Zac Efron!

"Umm…"

"If you tell me you don't know who Zac Efron is, I might _actually_ explode." Janey gave Rose a condemning glare, and the redhead pursed her lips. "And once you break into the film industry, you've got the world at your feet. The West End is great and all, but that is, like, _ultimate_ celebrity status. I'll get to go to film premieres, and walk red carpets; I'll get my own clothing line and fragrance; I could become a Victoria's Secret Angel, for all I know!"

"Angel," Gwen repeated, nodding, clearly as oblivious as Rose and Taylor were. "Cool. And there I'll be – a mere Harpy."

And there was Rose, untitled, unimpressive, perfectly jobless…

"Enough about me," Janey said brightly, "let's discuss the thing this whole little reunion is even happening for." She looked at Rose, smiling broadly. " _Somebody's_ getting married next month."

Rose instantly perked up.

"I'm so jealous," Gwen sighed.

Rose perked up even more.

"Don't you meet guys when you're touring all over the world?" Janey asked.

"Not the world – just Europe," Gwen corrected. "And sure, I meet guys all the time, but I'm never around long enough to get to know them and actually have a proper relationship, let alone get married."

Rose was a little aggravated that talk of her wedding had ceased almost as immediately as it had been brought up. Thankfully Janey's momentary attention lapse had been reverted. "So, I take it we're bridesmaids?"

"Well, you know, only if you _want_ to."

"Of course we do!" they all shrieked, almost in perfect unison.

"Dibs on Maid of Honour!" Janey yelled.

Rose's heart sank. "Well, actually…"

"Don't be ridiculous," Gwen told Janey, " _Taylor_ should be Maid of Honour. She was closest to Rose at Hogwarts, and they live together now."

"Yeah, but –"

"I – I've actually already asked," Rose admitted sheepishly.

Taylor looked confused. "You never asked me?"

Rose felt the heat rise in her face as they all stared at her, Janey and Taylor particularly hostile. "No," Rose said weakly, "I, ah, I kind of asked Ebony."

"Ebony? _Ebony_ is your Maid of Honour?" Janey shrieked. "Rose, the four of us were roommates and best friends for seven whole years! Four of which you didn't even know who Ebony was, two of which you _hated_ her for being a stone cold bitch and stealing your boyfriend – the guy who you're actually marrying – and only one of which you've really even been her friend!"

It sounded very unreasonable when Janey phrased it like that, but Rose was as close with Ebony, despite their dodgy history, as she was with any of the Gryffin-Girls.

"Janey, Ebony's one of our best friends," Rose protested. Honestly, the way Janey portrayed her made them sound like they were all still fifteen years old, and that she _hated_ the poor girl.

"But – but –"

"You want to know the reason I chose her?" Rose asked.

Janey nodded, looking sulky.

"I couldn't choose between you three, alright? You all mean so much to me – you're _all_ my best friends – I couldn't choose one of you over the other. The reason I chose Ebony is because not only is she incredibly close to me, but she's also incredibly close to Scorpius. They're best friends, after all – the two of them have a connection that he doesn't have with any of you. There's more significance, alright?"

Janey actually looked understanding – a great surprise to Rose. "I thought Albus was Scorpius' best friend," was all she said.

"He is," Rose agreed, "and he's Best Man."

Taylor suddenly tensed, but Rose didn't notice.

"Have you chosen a dress yet?" Gwen asked, moving the conversation along.

"I have," Rose said proudly, "but it's still being altered so that it's perfect. And I've got a few ideas for bridesmaids' dresses, but I wanted you all to look at them in person before I chose them."

Janey's interest was piqued. "What colour?"

"Midnight blue."

"Excellent choice," she praised. "That will look _amazing_ with my hair and eyes."

"It was Scorpius' idea," Rose admitted. "I had to let him do _something."_

"So will it just be the five of us as bridesmaids?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah. I mean, I thought about Lily and Serephina, of course, but I thought if I let Lily be bridesmaid then I couldn't exactly not let any of my other cousins be bridesmaids, and there's simply far too many of them for that! I thought about Jinx too – do you think she'll be mad?"

"Yes," Janey replied, on behalf of her absent half-sister.

Rose frowned. "Super mad?"

Janey considered it. "Not if you get her drunk enough at the reception; she'll get over it."

"Umm, okay then."

"What about Evangeline and Piper?" Taylor suddenly remembered. "Did they ever RSVP?"

"Yeah," Rose said with a sad frown, "but they're not coming. "I mean, it's too risky, isn't it? And for Evangeline to travel such a long way, merely for a wedding, it just doesn't seem worth it."

"I guess that's fair enough," Gwen said. "We should go and visit them again sometime soon."

About six months after they'd all graduated from Hogwarts, a handful of 'Bobbin's Army' had travelled to Russia together to visit their old friend, the group consisting of James, Ebony, Rose, Scorpius, Janey, Sam, Gwen, Taylor, Mason, and Albus.

"Deffo," Janey agreed. "I could use a holiday. But anyway – getting back to the wedding. Rose," she said seriously, "can I sing at the reception!?"

* * *

Two weeks to go, and everybody was slowly gravitating towards home. The wedding of Rose and Scorpius, and all that it would entail, was to be held in an extravagant and classy hotel in London. A lot of guests were expected to attend, and Rose had seen the appeal of such accommodation. This way people could arrive the night before, and stay the night of the wedding too, extending the celebrations. Bar, ballroom, breakfast – all were included. The whole wedding could take place at the chosen hotel, no switching between locations for the ceremony and the reception.

The honeymoon, however, would take Rose and Scorpius far away to the Tropics.

Rose and the Gryffin-Girls had all moved into Ron and Hermione's house for the month leading up to the wedding. Ron was not overly happy by the arrangement, and Hermione was far too polite to show any displeasure.

Rose and Taylor's flat had been too small to accommodate the four of them, along with all the wedding stuff Rose had stored up. It was exciting, and a little nostalgic, for them all to be living together again.

Scorpius went between his own shared flat with Albus, his father's house, and Ron and Hermione's house. The latter as little as he could; it was too weird and girlish to be surrounded by Rose and her bridesmaids, especially when she was in crazy wedding mode, and after that scarring, scantily-clad encounter with Ron, Scorpius tried to avoid sharing a roof with him as much as he possibly could.

On that day, exactly two weeks before the wedding, Ron and Hermione's house was packed full. It was the night of Rose's hen do, and Scorpius' stag, and both parties had gathered at the Weasley house beforehand, before going their separate ways.

Rose and the girls' group consisted of herself, Gwen, Taylor, Janey, Ebony, Jinx, Serephina (Scorpius' little sister), and her cousins, Lily, Roxanne, Dominique, Molly, and Lucy. Scorpius and the boys' group consisted of himself, Albus, Albireo, Hugo, James, Mason, Sam, Fred, Louis, and Teddy.

But they weren't the only ones convened at the Weasley house that evening. Ron and Hermione had decided to host a more sophisticated evening than their daughter and her fiancé were surely about to experience, and had invited their own friends and family to share their company – Ginny and Harry, Draco, Percy and Audrey, Bill and Fleur, George and Angelina, and Neville and Luna, with their respective partners. Victoire, Rose's eldest cousin, had declined to accompany Rose on her hen do, instead deigning to remain with the 'adults,' and look after her and Teddy's three-year-old son.

As the younger generation gathered in the kitchen, Rose felt ridiculously overdressed. She was dressed like what she could only describe as a stripper, in ridiculously high heels and a corset-like costume she would never have even considered had Janey not insisted it simply _had_ to be worn. At least they were all dressed similarly to her.

Rose had no idea what was in store for her that evening. Ebony, as Maid of Honour, had had her right to plan the hen do stolen from her by Janey and Jinx. Truthfully, she hadn't minded, although Rose certainly did. She was _not_ the kind of girl that Janey was, and would have been far more content with simply going out for a sophisticated meal.

It was clear though, by Janey's enforced attire, that sophistication was not on the cards.

As the boys entered the kitchen and caught sight of the girls, James Potter let out a piercing wolf-whistle. "That was aimed at everyone who's not related to me," he clarified.

Ebony glared at him.

"That was aimed at everyone who I'm married to," James corrected.

Ebony smiled.

"Jesus Christ, are you going to a brothel for the evening?" Sam asked, staring wide-eyed at the matching outfits.

Janey threw him a dirty look, and narrowed her eyes. "No, and you better not be either."

Sam looked deeply offended, but before he could say anything, Scorpius had walked into the kitchen. He did a double take when he saw Rose; she wasn't sure whether she felt flattered or embarrassed. "No brothels," he said with a smile, addressing Janey's comment.

"Strip club?" Janey asked coolly.

"Janey, please, we're going to the pub!"

"Yeah," James said gleefully, "and we're meeting the stripper there."

Ebony glared at him again, but with great humour.

"No strippers," Scorpius sighed impatiently, "just a nice evening at the pub."

"Pub crawl," Albus corrected.

"Wild evening," James corrected.

It was then that Rose noticed the look on Jinx's face. The small girl (equal in height to Janey) was seething, her lips tightly pursed, and her eyes burning with hatred. And when Rose followed her gaze, she understood why. Jinx's concentrated anger was aimed at a boy stood near to the back of the kitchen, and who was clearly trying to avoid any unwanted attention (and failing miserably).

Albireo Aldebaran, of course – Jinx's on-again off-again boyfriend since as early as Second Year, and who had been broken up with her permanently for the best part of a year now. Jinx had as fiery an attitude as her half-sister, and Rose had completely forgotten that this evening was likely the first time they'd seen each other since their breakup.

Oh Merlin, what if they argued at the wedding?

"Right, well, we should get going, shouldn't we?" Rose said quickly, before anything could kick off.

"And where, exactly, are you planning on spending your evening?" Scorpius asked, smiling flirtatiously.

 _If only Rose knew._

"Nowhere as dull as the _pub_ ," Janey scoffed. "We're going clubbing!"

Rose's heart sank. That _wasn't_ her idea of a good night; she was not into night clubs in the slightest. But then again, her hen do was more a party for Janey than it was herself. She forced a smile. "The clubs, apparently," she replied.

As people shared in their own conversations, beginning to gather up their stuff and head for the front door, Rose found herself face to face with Scorpius. "I feel stupid," she told him.

"You look incredibly sexy," he assured her.

"And that makes me feel even _more_ stupid." Rose didn't _do_ sexy; she didn't know how. Sexy was for girls like Ebony, and Janey, and Jinx, but not for herself. Even so, Scorpius' assurance made her smile.

"Will you be wearing this on our honeymoon?"

"I wasn't planning on wearing _anything_ on our honeymoon," Rose said in a low voice.

As Scorpius' eyes widened with desire, Rose couldn't help but smile again. Maybe she _could_ do sexy.

Scorpius certainly thought so, as he kissed her then, briefly but tenderly.

"OI!" James bellowed from the doorway. "Save it for the honeymoon!"

"Go," Rose murmured, kissing Scorpius once more, "and have fun."

"You too. And if you hook-up with lots of guys, just try not to let me find out."

Rose rolled her eyes. "You too."

"I promise I'll do my best not to hook-up with loads of guys tonight, you have my word."

Rose was laughing as she pushed Scorpius away to where the boys were waiting, ready to whisk him off for the night, she too preparing to be whisked off. As they left with raucous laughter, she turned back to where the girls were waiting.

Janey stood in the centre, a hand on her hip, and a smirk on her face. "Let's go dance, baby."

* * *

The lights and noise were blinding. Rose's surroundings had melted into a dizzying kaleidoscope of flashing colour, far more surreal than apparition or travelling through memories in a Pensieve. A strong, heavy rhythm was thrumming through her head and her entire body. Her senses were wildly out of control. Rose couldn't be sure whether she felt exhilarated or nauseous.

Or both.

Nope, it was nausea – definitely nausea. She knew she shouldn't have let Janey talk her into those vodka shots…

Rose began stumbling around the dancefloor, in search for an exit. She needed fresh air, and she needed it _now._ Head and ears ringing, she tried to grope her way through the darkness. All the faces and figures had blurred around her, nobody identifiable anymore.

But someone was gripping at her arm. Whether they were a stranger or a friend, Rose couldn't possibly tell, but she was immensely grateful for the stability they were providing her. Bursting out into the cool night air, a dangerous thought entered Rose's mind.

What if the person who'd led her outside wasn't somebody to be trusted? What if they had seen her, weak and disorientated, and had led her away with ill intent!?

Rose longed for Scorpius, wondering if he was handling his night better than she was. And, more importantly, she longed for her wand, having foolishly left it at home.

Before she could panic about the person who'd accosted her, and what exactly their intentions with her were, Rose hunched over, sharing the contents of her stomach with the dirty London pavement.

After several bouts of unflattering retching, until there was surely nothing left, Rose straightened up, humiliated and disgusted.

"Pathetic," an amused, feminine voice said.

Without the blinding lights, Rose could now clearly see the form of Lily Potter, her figure illuminated by the streetlights. She breathed a mental sigh of relief. "Lily."

The younger girl wrinkled her nose in disgust. "You've got sick on your chin –"

Rose hurriedly wiped it off.

"– and in your hair –"

She raked her hands through her mussed-up curls.

"– and all down your front, and –"

"Oh Merlin, I need to go home," Rose groaned.

"It's not even two o' clock yet, you lightweight." Lily was gently laughing at her, kindness shining in her eyes. "You've been looking peaky all night – I thought I better keep an eye on you. But you'll be fine now that you've cleared your system. I'd avoid the shots though…"

Rose could only imagine how she must look. "Thank you, Lily," she said, immensely grateful for her younger cousin. "Oh God, I'm so embarrassed."

"Don't be," Lily said kindly, using her wand to remove the sick. "You haven't seen what the others are up to…"

"I – I don't think I should ask."

"Trust me, Rose, you're probably the most un-outrageous bachelorette this world has ever seen."

Rose still felt humiliated though. "You seem… fine," she said suspiciously.

"Because I'm not drinking."

"Why not?"

Lily shrugged. " _Somebody_ has to be the responsible one this evening."

Rose found it a little sad that such a responsibility had fallen on the youngest of their party. Although, that being said, Lily was probably a lot more mature than most of them. And she was eighteen, after all, it wasn't like she was a little girl anymore.

It was just difficult for Rose to see Lily as anything else though. The elder redhead had always seen Lily as so young, and innocent, and vulnerable, and always felt a driving need to protect and shelter her from the world. It was difficult to accept that her once baby cousin was growing up.

"Are you sure we can't just bail and go home?" Rose teased.

Lily shook her head, laughing. "Absolutely not – Janey would never forgive you. You've just got to stick it out for a couple more hours."

"I suppose you're right," Rose sighed.

She and Lily turned back towards the entrance of the nightclub. Already Rose could feel the heavy bassline thrumming through the brickwork, but the nausea had certainly disappeared. She supposed she could stick it out for another couple of hours, although her feet were absolutely _killing_ her. There was a reason heels weren't supposed to be that high!

Rose stopped abruptly, noticing Lily's movement. Or rather, her lack thereof.

Lily had frozen on the entrance stairway, her knuckles white as they gripped the bannister. Her eyes had glazed over, misty and transfixed.

Rose looked around in alarm. What had happened? Lily looked like she'd been petrified!

"Lily?" she said frantically, wondering whether she should call out for help, or try and help the girl herself. Was it safe to touch her?

But with a shuddering breath, like she'd just burst through the surface of the sea, Lily returned to normal.

Well, not exactly.

Her skin, already pale, was certainly white with shock, unnaturally so. Her eyes were still wide, and her mouth was hanging open. She looked absolutely terrified. Her head moved, her eyes found Rose, and the fear in her expression deepened.

"You saw something, didn't you?" Rose asked in a hushed voice, as she realised what she'd just witnessed.

Lily Luna Potter was an extraordinary witch, with a gift she'd discovered at a young age. Although nobody really knew why, or how, Lily had been blessed with a bizarre sort of prophetic vision – bizarre even within the wizarding world. Not exactly a Seer, Lily had discovered, at a very young age, that she could experience uncontrollable glimpses into the future, and occasionally the past.

Sometimes very brief and trivial, her 'visions' often had no clear meaning or purpose, and could be as simple as an interaction she'd experience within twenty-four hours. More rarely, they were in-depth and a lot further into the future.

They came without warning, but one thing was always certain: whatever Lily saw, no matter how detailed or brief, no matter how shocking or mundane, they always, _always_ came true.

Rose had never seen Lily experience one of her prophetic moments before, but she was certain that's what she'd just witnessed. And by the look on her face, it wasn't something particularly positive.

Lily nodded meekly, confirming Rose's suspicion, her skin glowing eerily bright beneath the streetlight.

"What was it?" Rose asked quietly, deeply fearful of the answer. A thousand worries had suddenly crowded her mind.

Lily's breath hitched, and she hesitated before speaking. "Rose," she said in a quiet, dazed, and apologetic voice, "someone is going to die at your wedding."

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:** Because my uploading has been atrocious, there will be another chapter tomorrow :)_


	6. The Problem

**Chapter 6 – The Problem**

Exactly one week remained until the wedding of Rose and Scorpius would take place.

Rose was sat at her parents' kitchen table, surrounded by her bridesmaids. A decorative box lay open on the table, stuffed with white tissue paper, and containing the delicate white shoes that Rose would wear as she walked down the aisle. The redhead was furious.

"They're _not_ the ones I picked."

"They're beautiful, Rose," Ebony insisted. "They might not be the _exact_ pair you wanted, but they're still –"

"They're hideous."

"Oh, come on, they're not that bad," Janey said. "And besides, you've got a long train – no one will even see your shoes."

"I sent the order for the shoes I wanted _weeks_ ago," Rose said in an alarmingly shrill voice (of which everybody had become far too accustomed to lately). "Honestly, they leave it a week until the wedding and they don't even send the right bloody ones!"

"But it's like Janey said," Gwen pointed out desperately, "no one will even be able to see your shoes – they won't know they're not the rights ones."

" _I'll_ know."

"Do you want me to contact the company?" Taylor offered. "See if there's anything they can do?"

"No," Rose said furiously. "No. What's the point?"

The bridesmaids shared an awkward look. Was that a rhetorical question? Were they supposed to answer? It was a bit difficult to tell when it came to Rose as of late.

Rose let out a long sigh, silencing anyone who may have dared to speak. "Let's just hope they don't screw up the cake," she said spitefully. "Or the flowers."

"When are you… when are you picking up your dress?" Gwen dared to ask.

Rose suddenly dropped her head into her hands. "Oh, God, I was supposed to do that _today_ ," she groaned.

"There's still time," Ebony said kindly, and a little confusedly. She looked to the others for help – it was little after ten in the morning.

"But I'm supposed to be going to the venue today," Rose said. "To make sure they've got the right decorations and –"

"Rose, sweetie, can I have a word with you?" a tentative voice asked. Hermione had appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, nervously wringing her hands.

Rose looked aggravated with her mother's interruption. "Can't it wait?"

Hermione looked taken aback. "Well, I –"

"We've got important wedding stuff to discuss," Rose went on in a hostile manner, indicating to her bridesmaids.

They in turn looked horrified, flashing apologetic looks to Hermione. "Actually, Rose, why don't we go and pick up your wedding dress for you?" Ebony suggested.

The others nodded eagerly.

Rose glared at them. "All of you?"

But they were already all making for the door. "It's a long train," Janey said hastily.

They'd gone before Rose could protest. Hermione took the opportunity to close the door and settle herself into the seat opposite Rose. She tried to give her daughter a warm, reassuring smile. "How are you feeling, sweetie?"

"What do you want?"

Hermione's smile faltered. "Rose," she said warily, deciding to get straight to the point. "How offended would you be if… if your father and I, and Harry, were not… umm, entirely available at your wedding?"

Rose stared at her mother for a while, either on the brink of laughter or shrieking. "You're not coming to my wedding?" she asked dangerously, eyebrows raised in condemnation.

"No," Hermione said quickly, "that's not what I meant. _Of course_ , we'll be at your wedding. It's just, there's been a slight problem – a bit of a Dark Magic outbreak in the North. Kingsley's dealing with it, of course, but there's… there's a slight chance we might be required."

"And what does this have to do with my wedding?" Rose asked, still cold.

"Well, it's just, if there's an emergency, Harry, your father and I – we _might_ have to assist. And it _might_ coincide with certain parts of your wedding celebrations. I'm not saying it will," she said quickly, "and certainly not during the ceremony – we wouldn't _ever_ miss the ceremony – but in the evening, when it's –"

"My reception!" Rose shrieked, finishing Hermione's sentence for her.

"Rose, please." Even though it was her own house, and there wasn't really anybody else around, Hermione looked embarrassed by her daughter's brewing outrage.

"No," Rose yelled, "this is ridiculous! My own parents aren't going to come to my wedding reception, are you kidding me? How am I supposed to dance with my dad? You're going to miss the first dance, the speeches, the –"

"Rose, it's not for definite," Hermione said in a pleading voice. "We'll try to avoid it, of course, but this _is_ our job, and –"

"And this is my _wedding_ ," Rose hissed. "What kind of parents don't go to their own daughter's bloody wedding reception?"

"Please don't talk to me like that, Rose."

"You're being unreasonable!"

"I'm doing my best!"

Hermione was trying with all her might to retain her patience, and keep a calm demeanour, but Rose's hostility had been putting everybody who encountered her on edge. If she had been bad before then it was nothing compared to now.

"It's not good enough," Rose snapped. "I don't need any _more_ things to ruin my wedding."

"Rose," Hermione sighed, "your wedding is _not_ going to be ruined."

"Someone's going to die!"

Silence fell in the kitchen, the atmosphere suddenly even tenser than before. Since Lily's startling glimpse into the future just a week ago, a dark cloud had been hanging over Rose, as the days crept closer and closer to her wedding day. She was constantly on edge, tense and bitter every single moment of every day – but how could she not be?

It was not paranoia; it was not hysteria; somebody _was_ going to die at her wedding.

Lily had foreseen it. And Lily's 'prophecies' were never wrong. Six years ago Lily had actually foreseen the wedding of Rose and Scorpius (although she'd initially mistaken the redheaded bride to be herself), and now she had seen the unimaginable.

Rose had been hysterical the moment the words had left Lily's lips outside the nightclub, both of them equally horrified. "Who?" she'd shrieked. "How can you be sure? Who's going to die, Lily? Who!?"

"I – I don't know," Lily had replied, still feeling weak and dazed.

"How can you _not_ know? What happened? What did you see? What _exactly_ did you see?"

Lily had already been startled, but Rose's hysterical reaction wasn't helping. She casted her mind back, trying to relate it as best as she could. "It was… a little blurry," she explained. "I couldn't _quite_ see. It was so hazy and I – I –"

" _What exactly did you see?"_

"It was in a ballroom – at least that's what it looked like – and there were so many people –"

"Are you sure it was _my_ wedding?" Rose asked hopefully. "Are you sure it was a wedding at all?"

"Well," Lily gulped, "I could clearly see you and Scorpius, and you were definitely wearing a white dress and a veil…"

Rose's heart skipped a beat. What were the chances that she and Scorpius would attend a Halloween party at some point in the future, dressed as a bride and groom?

Pretty unlikely…

"Go on," she urged.

Lily cast her mind back again. "Well, there was a huge crowd of people all gathered around something – like I said, it was a ballroom-type-room, and everybody was dressed up all fancy – I couldn't see a lot of people's faces though, because they had their backs to me. I could see you though, and I could see Scorpius on one side, and Aunt Hermione on the other."

Rose felt only mild relief that it was neither herself, Scorpius, nor her mother who was the condemned victim. There was nobody she'd ever want to see die at her wedding; nobody she could bear to lose, under any circumstances.

"And like I said, everybody was gathered around," Lily went on, "all looking down at something – or someone – on the floor. I couldn't see who, because there were so many people – but everybody looked really sincere and shocked."

But that didn't mean _death_ , Rose thought desperately. Perhaps Lily was just assuming the worst? People gathered around somebody on the floor didn't mean someone was going to die _._ For all they knew, James would probably just get outrageously drunk and pass out on the middle of the dancefloor.

Didn't that seem so much more likely than someone actually _dying?_

"And then" – Lily's breath shuddered – "your mum spoke, in a really quiet, serious voice: 'He's dead.'"

Rose grabbed the bannister Lily was still holding onto, needing the support before she surely collapsed. "And that was it?" she eventually managed to ask. "That was the whole thing?"

Lily nodded, looking apologetic, as though _she_ were the cause of such tragic events that were to occur. "There was no context. I don't know who, or how, or anything at all. I mean, all I can say is that it looked to be your reception, and I guess we know it's a 'he.'"

But _who?_

The most important 'he' in Rose's life was unquestionably her intended – Scorpius – and Lily had definitely confirmed it was not him who was destined to lose his life. But that couldn't possibly put Rose's mind at ease. Ron, James, Albus, Hugo, Sam – any one of her beloved friends or family members could be the dreaded 'he,' and she couldn't bear the loss of any single one of them.

Especially at her wedding!

How were she and Scorpius, and all those in attendance, supposed to celebrate their uniting in matrimony when someone was going to die? How could Rose even go through the ceremony, knowing what she knew was going to happen, fearfully dreading the moment it would happen, and actually be able to enjoy her special day?

But there was no way to avoid it. Lily had foreseen it, after all.

And _how_ was this mysterious death going to come around, exactly? How could a wedding possibly be such a hostile environment that somebody would meet their death?

Would it be by magic? Would there be an argument – a fight? Would it simply be an accident? A coincidence? Just a random, unfortunate act of nature?

"Rose," Hermione said awkwardly, regarding her daughter across the kitchen table, "we don't know for _sure_ that something so drastic is definitely going to happen."

"Lily _saw_ it," Rose reminded her mother through gritted teeth. "When has she ever been wrong?"

Rose had freaked out, naturally, at Lily's prophetic revelation, but had decided not to tell anybody. Surely they wouldn't come if she told them their death was potentially on the cards? But was that, then, selfish of Rose? Would she be _ensuring_ someone's death by acting in ignorance?

She had told Scorpius, of course – how could she possibly keep something like that from him? (Although she'd not been too pleased with his less-than-serious reaction). And she had told her parents. But that was it.

Nobody seemed to have been as freaked out by it as Rose had though – something that greatly infuriated her. Why were she and Lily the only ones taking this seriously?

"I know, Rose," Hermione gently assured her daughter, trying to get her to calm down, "but things seen in prophecies and visions can be… _misleading."_

Hermione had never trusted Divination, or anything relating to 'fortune telling,' as it were. She did not consider it a 'proper' branch of magic – not something to be taken seriously at all. And Rose had been the same, perhaps because of her mother's own beliefs. That was, until she'd learned of Lily's gift, and had felt ashamed at how easily she'd cast aside such a thing and unintentionally isolated the girl.

Rose had also been deeply swayed in its favour when she'd learned of Lily's vision of her and Scorpius getting married in the future…

"Misleading?" Rose repeated, about to yell again.

"I've seen it happen a lot," Hermione insisted. "The mind is easily manipulated – it was one of Lord Voldemort's greatest weapons. It's like when we were in our fifth year at Hogwarts, and Harry had 'seen' his godfather being tortured. I tried to convince him it was a trick but he wouldn't listen, so we raced to the Ministry where, sure enough, it was all a setup. And Sirius ended up dying that night," Hermione finished quietly, deep sorrow swimming in her eyes. "He might not have, had Harry listened to me…"

"That's nothing like what Lily saw," Rose denied. "Nobody's 'manipulating her mind,' as you put it – she sees random, innocent flashes of the future. It's completely within her own mind, and they _always_ come true."

Hermione still didn't look convinced. "Even so, it might just be a case of things not being what they seem. Lily didn't actually physically _see_ someone die – and no names were mentioned. That vision could have been taken out of context, we don't know."

"I am not prepared to take that risk," Rose said haughtily. "Think what you'd do if _you_ were in my situation."

"There's nothing you _can_ do, Rose," Hermione sighed. "We won't know exactly what's going to happen until it happens. If Lily's vision is indeed destined to come true, then that means you can't physically prevent it. Whoever's fate is at stake – whether it really is as drastic as it seems – I'm afraid there's really nothing we can do. You can't let it eat you up like it is."

But Rose was in too stubborn and argumentative a mood to let it go that easily. Hermione just didn't understand the immense pressure Rose was under – how could she?

"I don't have time for this," she growled, getting to her feet. "I have too much to do."

Hermione looked pained, but she made no attempt to prevent her daughter from leaving. "Just… take it steady, Rose. You're getting incredibly worked up about the whole wedding. You need to relax."

Rose had never sworn at her mother until then.

* * *

"I think Serephina has a boyfriend…"

Rose and Scorpius were in Ron and Hermione's lounge, later that evening. Everybody else had gone to bed, only the young couple remaining. It was nearing eleven o' clock. Rose was hurriedly scribbling on a hand-drawn map of the hotel's ballroom, making last-minute changes to the seating for the reception. Scorpius was lolling, most unhelpfully, in one of the armchairs.

Rose looked up at him. He was frowning in concern, staring at the wall, apparently deep in thought.

"What makes you say that?" Rose asked, distracted by his sudden declaration, both amused and curious.

"I don't know; she's just been acting really strange and elusive recently. She's always sneaking around, and she keeps trying to avoid me – like she's hiding something."

"And you think it's a boy?" Rose snorted.

"Mhmm."

"Would that be such a bad thing?"

Scorpius' eyes widened. "No," he mumbled in defence. "I mean, I don't know, _maybe_. It depends who he is."

"She's eighteen, Scorpius," Rose reminded him.

"So?"

"So, it's not like she's twelve! She's a mature young woman – she can be in a serious relationship."

That only made Scorpius look even more uncomfortable. "What if he's not a good guy? What if he's a lot older than her, or he's a really bad influence, and he's just _using_ her and –"

"You know who you sound like?" Rose interrupted, unable to contain her smile.

"Who?"

"My dad."

Scorpius looked vaguely offended. "What?"

"You sound just like my dad when I first started dating _you_ ," Rose explained. "'He's a bad influence, he's just using you, _blah, blah, blah_ ,'" she mimicked with great amusement.

"I'm just protective of her," Scorpius said in defence.

"I know, Scorpius, and it's very sweet, really, but we have more important things to discuss." Rose cleared her throat. "How far apart should we put Jinx and Albireo? I've got a table for the bridesmaids, of course, but now I'm not so sure that's a good idea. I can't put Janey, Taylor, Gwen, and Ebony together, but not put James and Sam with them too. But then I think Mason and Albireo would want to be with James and Sam too, right? Oh, and Albus." Rose took a breath. "But is it going to be awkward for Mason and Gwen to be together? I mean, I don't think it _really_ will, will it? But I also have to put Jinx with Janey if we're really putting all those people together, and there's absolutely no way I can put Jinx and Albireo on the same table."

Scorpius was absentmindedly picking at a frayed part of the chair's arm. "You can't put James and Sam together," Scorpius said with a wicked smirk.

Rose rolled her eyes. Horrified by the events of her own hen do, Rose had gone home, perfectly sober. The others had been significantly worse, but not _too_ outrageous. The boys, on the other hand, had had a night to remember.

Well, if only they could…

After an almost twenty-four hour hangover on all of their parts, Rose had finally managed to get some details from Scorpius. Whereas Lily had taken on the role of responsibility within the girls' party, none of the boys had had the sense to do anything of the sort, and thus their memory of the night was more than a little hazy.

There was a rumour that James and Sam had supposedly kissed – of which both boys profusely denied, and Scorpius was convinced he had played witness to (and been deeply scarred by). Whether the two had indeed shared a bit of a drunken snog was debatable, but the boys had ascertained other events to be one hundred percent true.

Sam had been briefly arrested for public indecency for running through London, stark naked. (Rose had been mortified; Janey had been deeply amused). Mason had punched Scorpius, resulting in him having a black eye for almost a week, but nobody had really known why.

And all of them agreed they'd somehow ended up in a tattoo parlour at one point, none of them recalling much else other than that. The terrified boys had frantically checked their bodies the following day, none of them finding any unexpected tattoos – but that only made them all the more worried.

"Ha-ha," Rose said sarcastically. "I'm sure Janey and Ebony would have a thing or two to say if Sam and James decided to relive your stag. We just won't give them any alcohol."

"Have you _met_ James Potter?"

"True," Rose said idly, scribbling something down on her seating plan. "What do you suggest, then?"

"I don't know."

Rose narrowed her eyes at him.

"What?" Scorpius asked innocently. "I don't _care_ where our friends sit, Rose. As long as I'm sat next to you, I don't particularly care where anybody sits."

"You don't _care?"_ Rose asked in a dangerous tone.

 _Uh_ - _oh_. Scorpius did _not_ enjoy it when that tone came out. And as of recently, that had been a lot. "Rose, _please_ ," he groaned, not in the mood to have the same argument again. "I do care about the wedding," he repeated for what felt like the hundredth time, "but it's in a week's time. Haven't we done enough? You _had_ a seating plan – a perfectly good one. Why are you re-doing it so close to the wedding? You're just stressing yourself out even more."

Rose slammed the plan and pen down onto the coffee table with great fury. "I want the wedding to be perfect," she growled. "Is that really so unreasonable?"

Scorpius sat up straight in the armchair. "The wedding _will_ be perfect," he said, matching her aggression, "regardless of how obsessive your planning is."

"You think my planning's obsessive?" Rose demanded. "Well, excuseme for actually putting a little effort into it."

"There is effort," Scorpius said calmly, though he was beginning to seethe, "and then there is _this._ You've been like this since the beginning – with that stupid bloody list of worst-case-scenarios. Why can't you just enjoy the wedding and let it happen as it happens?"

Rose was greatly infuriated at the mention of her list – she took it very seriously. "In case you haven't realised – and oh, how you mocked me for it! – that _stupid bloody list_ is becoming frighteningly more real with each day we get closer to the wedding. Forgive me for trying to make our special day perfect! It's bad enough that somebody's going to _die_ – I'm just trying to make sure everything around that delightful little experience will be pleasant enough for everybody!"

Scorpius rose to his feet. "Nobody is going to die, Rose!" he yelled, quite forgetting that there were other occupants in the house. "I don't care what Lily's said – I don't care what she saw – nobody is going to die at our wedding!"

"No!" Rose shrieked, also getting to her feet. "No, you don't care, do you? That's all I ever hear from you when it comes to the wedding: 'I don't care,' 'I don't care,' _'I don't care!'_ "

"What do you want from me, Rose?" Scorpius demanded.

"I want you to take interest in what's going to be the happiest day of our life. I _want_ you to care. I want you to actually put some effort in!"

"How can I possibly put any effort in when you don't let me do anything? You have become _obsessed_ , Rose," Scorpius accused, "and not in a cute, overlook-able way. Every time I try to put my input into the wedding you just belittle me and dismiss it – none of my suggestions have made it through!"

"I let you choose the colour scheme," Rose said indignantly.

"You've made all the decisions; you've called all the shots – and then you have the nerve to try and tell me that I'm not getting involved? That I'm not showing interest?"

"You're not!" Rose said shrilly. "All you do every day is loll around and belittle me, whilst I'm working my arse off to try and make this a magical day that we'll remember for the rest of our lives! Can't you see how stressed I am? Can't you see how much I need your help?"

"Are you listening to anything I'm saying?" Scorpius said. "Whenever I show interest and try to help you, you either shut me down or bite my head off. There's no way I can win when it comes to you!"

"It's not a question of 'winning,'" Rose spat, disgusted. "This isn't a war; this isn't a game. This is our wedding, we're talking about!"

" _Our_ wedding," Scorpius stressed. " _Our_ wedding! But that little detail seems to slip your mind. This is not _our_ wedding anymore – this is not _our_ special day – it's yours! I'm just the poor idiot who has to go along with it."

"If you think being my husband is such an idiotic role then why did you even bother to ask me to marry you?" Rose demanded, close to tears. "This was _your_ choice – _your_ decision. I never asked you to marry me, and I never asked you to ask _me_. I didn't hint, or force, or pressure – it was all _your_ decision."

"I wanted a marriage, Rose!" Scorpius yelled. "I wanted to marry you, and be your husband, and spend the rest of my life with you. I told you from the start it wasn't the wedding itself that mattered the most to me. I would have been perfectly happy with a small ceremony, or even just eloping. But you wanted a wedding – a big, huge ceremony – and I wanted you to be happy!"

"I'm freaking _ecstatic,_ " Rose practically screamed at him, also forgetting that there were others in the house (not to mention the surrounding houses). "Can't you see how positively happy I am?" she asked sarcastically.

"It is not my fault that you –"

"No, it's never your fault! It's always _my_ fault, isn't it?"

"Rose, I never said that!"

"You're implying it! You keep trying to patronise me, and make me look like some hysterical, psychotic –"

"Have you _seen_ yourself?" Scorpius asked nastily.

If Rose had been holding something then she would have thrown it at him. Instead she merely balled up her fists and let out an impatient sort of grunt. She then tried to speak in as calm a voice as possible. "You can't escape that fact that somebody is going to _die_ –"

"Nobody is going to die!"

"– at the wedding, so forgive me for being a little on edge, and wanting me to do my best to make everything else perfect."

"You aren't thinking rationally," Scorpius insisted. "You're so freaked out about something going wrong – or in this case, _everything_ going wrong – that you have become hysterically paranoid. I'm not going to skirt around the truth, Rose. Everybody can see it – everybody's thinking it."

"Do you not care that somebody could die?" she hissed.

"If you're so sure it's going to happen, what exactly do you want me to do?" Scorpius asked, starting to get a little hysterical himself. "Do you want us to postpone the wedding? Do you want us to just _not_ get married next week?"

"That's not what I want at all!" Rose cried, the tears actually starting to spill now. "I want to marry you, and I want everybody to have a good time, and I want it to be perfect, and I –"

"You can't make it perfect, Rose," Scorpius said desperately. "Whatever happens will happen, and the day will be perfect regardless of what happens. No amount of crazy, obsessive planning is going to ensure perfection, or prevent anything from going wrong. You. Need. To. Calm. Down!"

But Scorpius' words were only getting Rose more riled up. "I'm not going to apologise for getting so involved in our wedding, okay? It _does_ matter to me, and I _do_ care about it, but I'm not obsessed!"

"Rose, do you honestly not see how hostile and toxic you've become over the last few months – the last week in particular? I have never seen you so narcissistic! You're being ignorantly rude and ungrateful to your friends, your family – to _me._ "

"That is _not_ true," Rose growled.

Scorpius raised his eyebrows in a patronising manner. "Have you ever heard the term 'bridezilla'?"

Rose let out a sharp, offended gasp. "Don't you dare!"

"It's not just me who's thinking it, Rose!"

"But you _knew_ this about me," Rose suddenly accused. "You knew I was an intense and emotional person, and you agreed to love me no matter what."

"I do," Scorpius said calmly. "And I will. But this is too much, Rose. I wanted to get married because I love you, and I wanted to celebrate that love through getting married, but I am no longer convinced, in the slightest, that the same applies to you."

Rose didn't say anything. She just listened obediently, curious, and perhaps fearful, of what Scorpius had to say.

"This wedding has nothing to do with me, or getting married to me – not for you. You have to admit to yourself that you've been feeling invalidated over the past year or so. I'm not saying that to belittle you or be mean; I'm just trying to be honest. And if we can't be honest with each other then what kind of basis is that for a healthy marriage?"

Again, Rose said nothing.

"You have always been so adored," Scorpius went on. "And you still are – don't get me wrong – but it's not the same. When everything was chaos, you were the rock. Everybody came to you for advice, and reassurance, and strength – they saw you as a leader, a friend, an anchor. But the minute we left Hogwarts, that started to change. People didn't need to rely on you in the same way – they had their own goals, their own success – and whilst everybody advanced in their lives, you got left behind."

Rose's expression was hard and sulky. "What's your point?"

"The engagement reverted the dynamics back to how they'd previously been. Once more, _you_ were the centre of attention; _you_ were the desirable one; _you_ were the one everybody was flapping around. And you loved it!"

"Maybe that's true," Rose said, "but how can you stand there and say that that's the only reason I wanted this wedding to happen?"

"You are blinded by it!" Scorpius accused. "At this point, I'm not even convinced I even need to show up to the wedding. Would you care? Would you even notice?"

"Scorpius!"

"It's not about marrying _me_ ," Scorpius laughed hysterically. "I could be any random bloke at that altar, and it wouldn't make the blindest bit of difference! I'm just a pawn in your game; I'm just a bloody prop. As long as you have all eyes on you as you walk down that aisle, and everybody fawning over you, do you care at all _who_ you're marrying?"

Rose's tears were falling freely, but she ignored them. "Of course I care!" she yelled. "How can you be such an idiot that you don't see that?"

"I am an idiot, Rose," Scorpius agreed. "I'm idiotically in love with you – enough to put myself through the nightmare that this whole experience has been so far. And you want to know why? You want to know why I've let you treat me, and everybody else around you, like this?"

Rose said nothing, still seething, tears still streaming.

"Because I want you to be happy."

"Oh, just _stop_ ," she ordered. " _Stop_ victimising yourself, and trying to make me look like the unreasonable one. I never asked you to go through all that, and if it's making you so bloody miserable then I'm _sorry._ "

"I find that hard to believe," Scorpius said coolly.

"If you're finding our engagement so nightmarish, and you think the wedding will be the same, why do you think the marriage will be any different? If you can't handle me like this, and you don't want to accept the bad parts of me, why do you even want to marry me?"

"I _don't_ want to marry you, Rose," he said, just as coolly as before.

Rose nearly stopped breathing, she was so shocked. Surely she'd misheard?

"At least not _this_ version of you," Scorpius said in disgust. "You are not the girl I asked to marry me – you've become selfish and toxic. You are not the girl I fell in love with six years ago, and the one I promised to love for the rest of my life. If this is what you've become, and this is what you're going to be when we're married, then no, maybe I don't want to marry you."

Rose paused for a while to let it all sink in. How had everything escalated so quickly? They'd had mild arguments about the wedding ever since they were first engaged – they'd been tame and repetitive – but this was on a whole other level.

And with only a week before they were due to say their 'I do's and commit to each other for the rest of their lives?

"Fine," Rose forced herself to say through the tears, glaring in hatred at the man she had deeply loved. She eased the engagement ring off of her finger, where it had comfortably sat for four months, and threw it down onto the carpet at Scorpius' feet. "Fine," she repeated, storming to the door. "Forget the wedding, and forget the marriage."


	7. The Preparations

**Chapter 7 – The Preparations**

Scorpius had barely slept. He could not stop replaying the evening's events over and over again in his head, with a twisting knot of disgust and regret in his stomach. What had he _done?_

He had not wanted to argue with Rose; he had not wanted to say the things he had; he had certainly not wanted her to throw her engagement ring down at his feet and tell him the wedding was off.

But he had.

And so, she had.

He was no longer engaged; he no longer had a fiancée (maybe not even a girlfriend anymore either); he would not be getting married in six days' time. Was that what he wanted?

But no, Scorpius knew, despite what he'd said in the heat of the argument, that wasn't what he wanted at all. He had been bottling up his emotions when it came to Rose and the wedding for some time, unleashing them all unexpectedly in a moment of selfishness and weakness.

Of course Rose was stressed about the wedding, and of course she had been feeling belittled by her friends' success. Everything Scorpius had said was true, but that didn't change the fact that it had been cruel and heartless of him to voice those things to Rose. Rather than using them against her, patronising and alienating her, he should have stood by her, given her strength when she needed it most.

Scorpius realised that now. And he was deeply disgusted with himself.

All he'd wanted was to marry the girl he was in love with. And despite what he'd said that evening, he did still truly love Rose, and he did still truly want to marry her. He had made a vow to her long ago, at somebody else's wedding, in which he'd promised to do exactly the opposite of what he'd just done.

" _I'm gonna stand by you through everything. I took all the good times – I'll take the bad times too. I want every single aspect of you, good and bad, easy and difficult, beautiful and ugly. Every single insecurity, every single flaw, every bit of darkness._

 _"I want you when I'm losing my mind, when the world is full of darkness._

 _"And I want you when I'm flying, when life is never better, and everything is bright, and beautiful, and pure."_

And maybe he'd only been seventeen when he'd made such a promise, but he had believed in it then, and he believed in it now.

But he had said and done unspeakable things, and for him to grovel and beg Rose for forgiveness would be belittling to her. He'd done it before, of course. His entire relationship with Rose had been comprised of him screwing things up, making mistakes, and then begging for her forgiveness and making promises he always failed to keep. But this was on a whole new level. Could they honestly rebound from such an argument, and still be able to have a happy and healthy relationship?

Scorpius did not expect Rose's forgiveness; he could never, and would never, forgive himself for the things he'd said to her last night. He was not half the man he'd promised to be for her.

But even if it was indeed the end of his relationship with Rose, Scorpius could not avoid seeing her. Even if it was to certify that they would not be getting married, they were no longer together, and Rose hated him indefinitely, they at least had to see each other again and talk about it. And the longer they delayed, the worse it would be.

Scorpius made his way down the stairs of Ron and Hermione's house.

After Rose had stormed from the room, Scorpius had been able to do nothing but crumple to the carpeted floor, running the returned ring through his fingers, and crying uncontrollably.

At which point Ron had walked in.

The man had looked uncomfortable, like he did not want to be there of his own choice, but had been forced by Hermione (which Scorpius strongly suspected). Scorpius could not even feel the slightest bit of embarrassment that everybody upstairs had surely heard every word of the argument, or that Ron was now seeing him huddled on the floor of his lounge, crying his eyes out.

Ron was there to ask him to leave, Scorpius guessed, or to chastise him for making such a racket, or yell at him for hurting his daughter, or order him to stay away from their family indefinitely.

But to Scorpius' surprise, Ron had done none of those things. He had sat, he had talked, and he had listened.

And then he had suggested Scorpius stay there for the night; it was too late to go home, and as Hugo was out, Scorpius could sleep in his room. Scorpius had agreed. Partially because he was too tired to go home, and partially because he knew that, even though it would be painful for him to know Rose was separated from him by only a wall, he would have no choice but to face her in the morning. If he went home, how was he to build up the strength to come back and face her?

As he stumbled down the stairs, dressed in his pyjamas and dressing gown, Scorpius knew Rose was in the kitchen, and he knew she was with her friends. He expected her to be relaying the events of last night to them in her own words, even though they'd likely all heard it themselves.

Whether Ron and Hermione were there too, he couldn't tell.

Scorpius took a deep breath and forced himself to go into the kitchen, mentally unprepared for what he was actually going to do or say once he saw Rose again for the first time.

He had been right; Rose was sat at the kitchen table, her legs hunched up to her chest like she was a small child, with Janey, Gwen, and Taylor sat around her, listening, and trying to soothe her.

Everybody fell silent the moment Scorpius entered the room, save for Rose taking a slight, shuddery breath. Their eyes locked briefly, but she pursed her lips and looked away, as though in great pain.

Scorpius' heart lurched. Rose too was dressed in her pyjamas and dressing gown. Her red hair was hanging limp and lifeless, plastered to her sullen face, and her eyes were heavy and weary. She looked like she'd had little sleep too, and had done a fair share of crying herself. The self-loathing Scorpius already felt for himself deepened.

Not knowing what he could possibly say or do to break the uncomfortably tense silence, Scorpius set about making himself a cup of tea. As he clattered the mugs around, acting like it was the most casual thing in the world, he felt the girls' eyes boring into the back of him. He wondered what they'd said to Rose – whether they'd spoken in favour of him, and assured her he hadn't meant it and that they could get through it, or whether they now loathed him, and had agreed that he was a complete arse and Rose was better off without him.

With two steaming mugs in his hands, Scorpius turned back towards the table. Everybody but Rose was glaring at him. She herself was still clutching her knees to her chest, like a small child, and was staring with lost, empty eyes, at a spot on the table.

Scorpius set one mug down in front of her; still, she didn't look up. He set his own mug down on the table next to hers, and dragged an empty seat over to place in front of her. Settling himself down so he was sat facing Rose, about four feet between them, Scorpius returned Janey's glare in silence.

She held it for a while, challenging him, until finally she heaved herself away from the table, the others following her lead. "We'll be in the lounge," Janey sighed, as the three of them excused themselves from the kitchen. Closing the kitchen door so Rose and Scorpius were left alone, Scorpius knew they'd be intently eavesdropping outside the door. He had a feeling Ron and Hermione weren't home.

Still, Rose did not look at him.

The ticking of the clock was the only noise to be heard. It seemed unnaturally loud, full of condemnation.

"I was out of line," Scorpius said eventually.

No 'good morning,' no 'how are you,' no desperate 'I still love you.' He wanted to be as straight-forward and honest as he could – he didn't want to skirt around the heart of the issue like he would have done when he was a teenager.

"I'm not going to make excuses for myself, because you deserve better than that. I was out of line, I said incredibly hurtful things – of which I am not proud, nor am I sure I really believe – and I acted unfairly and unforgivably."

Rose looked at him then, her eyes heavy with pain and exhaustion. But she remained silent.

"Please talk to me," Scorpius said quietly.

And she did. "I don't… know what you want from me," Rose spoke in a strained voice.

Scorpius wanted her to put the ring back on her finger. He wanted her to say she'd marry him, that she still loved him, and would always forgive him for being the foolish idiot that he was.

"I want you to be happy," he said weakly. "And I don't know anymore, if I make that better or worse for you."

Rose took a noticeable gulp. "I don't know anymore either…"

Scorpius was a little stunned, but he nodded in understanding. "Do you still love me?" he asked, his voice breaking.

Rose broke eye contact with him. If Scorpius was not mistaken, she looked somewhat guilty.

"I do," she said in as broken a voice as he had used. She winced at her poor choice of words. "Yes," she corrected, "I still love you. I'm always going to be in love with you."

But it was lacking in the warmth that should have accompanied such words. It was clinical, full of pain.

"And do you want to marry me?" Scorpius asked, not a proposal, but a lost, pained worry.

"I don't know," Rose admitted.

Scorpius nodded again, trying not to let his internal distress show. Her words cut him deep, but it wasn't for that reason that he felt most anguish. It was the realisation that he had said those same things to her last night, except in a way that was noticeably more vindictive and cruel.

If he was feeling pain at her meek confession, what must she have felt when he had yelled the same thing at her last night?

"Not ever?" Scorpius asked quietly, a slight edge of hope. "Or not now?"

Rose had been succeeding in keeping a serious, unresponsive sort of demeanour up until then, her eyes and voice lacking in any sort of emotion, oozing stability. But at that point she broke.

"I don't know," she choked out, her voice wobbling, and tears suddenly surging from her eyes, hot and urgent.

Scorpius acted impulsively, the only way he knew how. Lurching forwards from his chair, he enfolded Rose in his arms, kneeling before her and holding her tightly to him. He ran a soothing hand down her back, unable to remember the last time he had been even that intimate with her, and she buried her face into his shoulder, clinging to him like a lost child.

"I – I do want to marry you," Rose hiccoughed into his shoulder, still holding him tightly, her tears dampening his dressing gown. "But you were right. And I don't know… I'm not sure, if I walk down that aisle, that I'll be doing it for the right reasons."

"Shh," Scorpius gently soothed her, not wanting her to get so worked up – seeing her in that state broke his heart. "I wasn't right," he dismissed in a humble voice, still holding her. "I used your insecurities against you – that's not healthy or okay in any kind of relationship. Especially not the girl I'm about to marry." He gulped. "The girl I was about to marry," he corrected, heart sinking again.

Not that Scorpius could see it, but there was still a gentle indent on Rose's finger, from where the engagement ring had lightly pressed into it for the past four months.

Rose tensed, before finally letting go of Scorpius, and hunching back in her chair. The tears weren't streaming anymore, but her eyes were still red-rimmed and weary.

Scorpius felt foolish on his knees in front of her. He debated whether he should back away and sit back on his chair, or stay there at her feet. He compromised, sitting back on his own chair, but dragging it forwards so that his and Rose's knees were touching.

"You can't blame yourself," Rose said in a quiet, serious voice, avoiding looking Scorpius in the eye again. "Everything you said about me was true. Maybe I didn't realise it, or maybe I did… Either way, you were right, and everybody was thinking it. I've been a real bitch..."

Scorpius flinched; he did not like that word. Least of all if it was describing Rose, and even more so if she was describing herself with it.

"It still wasn't okay for me to confront you about it in the way I did."

Rose didn't look like she believed Scorpius in the slightest, or that she was ever going to be convinced otherwise.

"Rose, you have been under a lot of stress and pressure recently – and I mean even before the engagement. I'll admit, I was so busy at work, so involved in my training, that I probably didn't give you enough attention as I should have."

"I never wanted _attention_ ," Rose said desperately.

"No, that's not what I meant," Scorpius said hurriedly, annoyed at his poor choice of words. "I mean… support," he said. "I mean, I should have been making time for you, but I didn't. And that's no excuse," he added. "I'm not trying to blame you for anything. But I recognise now, that I probably wasn't supporting you as much as I should have."

"It's not your responsibility to make me feel valuable," Rose denied, shaking her head sadly.

"It is though," Scorpius insisted. "As your boyfriend, fiancé, husband, or even just your friend," he said sheepishly, "– whoever I'm supposed to be to you – if I'm not making you feel good about yourself, what exactly qualifies me to have such a title? And even if it's not my role to make you feel valuable, it certainly isn't my role to make you feel invaluable."

"You don't have to worry about that – I do that all by myself."

Scorpius' heart was breaking with every word she said. "How can I help you, Rose?" he pleaded, hating that he felt so helpless.

"You can't," Rose said in that same lost, broken voice. "I'm starting to think I'm just… not a very pleasant person to be around anymore. I _have_ become hostile and toxic, and constantly bitter – I've changed a lot since my school days. And not for the better. I'm blaming everybody else around me for who I've become – punishing them for moving on and leaving me behind."

"You haven't been left behind, Rose," Scorpius said gently. "Your life just isn't heading in such a defined direction as everybody else. That doesn't make you any more or less accomplished in your own right. But I think maybe I overlooked that – I got too caught up in my own life to remember that _you_ were as big a part of my life as my career – even bigger, in fact."

"I just don't think I'm worth it," Rose said, in her weakest voice yet.

Scorpius was furious now. Not at Rose, but at himself, for ever having failed to fill her life with so much love and support that she honestly believed such a thing. "You are to me," he declared. "Oh my God, Rose, forget what I just said – you are _the_ biggest part of my life. I told you that when I proposed. I told you that you were my everything, and I can't believe I failed so horribly as to let you doubt that."

"But when we were fifteen –" Rose began weakly.

Scorpius was taken by surprise. Their problems as fifteen-year-olds were long in the past, and completely irrelevant.

"– everybody told me you were bad for me. They told me you'd hurt me, and use me, and that you were dangerous. We never even stopped to consider that those things could be completely true –"

"They're _not_ true," Scorpius said defensively, horrified that she could even think such a thing.

"Not about you," Rose pleaded, "but about _me._ You've more than proven that those were wild, untruthful speculations, but what about me? What if I'm not good for _you?_ What if I'm not good for anyone?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Rose. You are so important, to so many people – myself included. Ever since you've been a part of my life, you've hugely improved it, and I think it's about time I started repaying the favour."

"You do," she insisted, "every day. And I think I took that for granted too."

Scorpius was somewhat glad that they were having such a deep, meaningful heart-to-heart. He hadn't fully realised how little they'd really delved beneath the surface and talked about their emotions – at least, not in a long time. Maybe it was his fault, for prioritising his Healer training, or maybe it was Rose's, for letting her insecurities about her friends make her jealous and narcissistic.

Or maybe, and it seemed far more likely than either of the alternatives, they were both to blame.

Both of them had been taking the other for granted, and maybe they were starting to realise that now. And although Scorpius found it enlightening, he still felt helplessly in the dark about the more trivial problems that had been raised last night. Were he and Rose really not engaged anymore? Would there really be no wedding next week? And if he couldn't call her his fiancée anymore, could he at least still call her his girlfriend?

"I know I can't apologise for the things I said to you last night, Rose," Scorpius said.

"Then don't."

He gave her a questioning look.

"I don't want you to apologise, Scorpius," Rose sighed. "You didn't do anything wrong. Don't argue," she said when he made to protest, the smallest of smiles playing on her lips. "And you can't entirely blame yourself either. I said things I regret too – things I didn't mean. I'm the one who…"

 _Called off the wedding._

But Rose trailed off, unable to say the words, her small almost-smile disappearing immediately. It was the elephant in the room – the thing they were both avoiding mentioning.

"Maybe it was just too soon," Rose said sadly. "Maybe we weren't ready… maybe we were still both too young."

Scorpius gulped. He did not believe that for a second. He was ready to commit himself to Rose Weasley; he had been ready for some time now. Like he'd told Ron when he'd asked for his permission to ask for Rose's hand, he could marry her tomorrow, or in fifty years' time, and his feelings towards her wouldn't change in the slightest. If he wasn't ready then, then he wouldn't ever be ready.

But he knew in his heart that he was.

The question was: was Rose ready?

Scorpius didn't want to pressure her into anything, and after the mess that the previous night had been, he wouldn't be surprised if she never wanted to marry him. But how could he afford not to take that chance? He had already lost her so many times before…

"We went about this all wrong," Rose said, before Scorpius could say anything. "We should have been united, but we weren't. And maybe that was my fault –"

"It was my fault too," Scorpius added quickly.

"– but either way, I think we can both agree we shouldn't have turned our backs on each other."

"No," Scorpius agreed. "No – there was a time when we used to stand together, against the rest of the world. And now," he gulped, "if we're turning against each other…"

"Maybe it just wasn't our time."

Rose's final words were spoken with haunting finality, a little bittersweet. And Scorpius knew that was it; it was over. Maybe not forever, but at least for that moment. He would not be taking Rose Weasley as his bride that weekend.

After having nodded sadly in agreement, Scorpius heaved himself from the kitchen chair, and put it back where he'd gotten it from. Both his and Rose's mugs of tea remained untouched, and now stone cold. He supposed he should just go back home. There was no place for him there anymore.

As he turned his back on Rose (it would be too painful to say anything more to her), Scorpius realised that he now had to go through the awful process of telling everybody that the wedding was off. His heart was heavy indeed.

Scorpius had taken no more than two steps away from Rose before something even more forceful and driving shot through his body. _No_ , he thought fiercely. _No, it wasn't over. He wasn't giving up that easily._

"Rose," he said, more aggressively than intended, whipping around to face her.

Rose looked up at him in shock, her eyes wide with questioning.

Before he could think twice about it, Scorpius had closed the distance between them, dropping down onto one knee before her, pulling the engagement ring from his dressing gown pocket where he'd put it last night. He held it out to her from on the floor; no box, but with a bit of dressing gown fluff stuck to the central diamond.

Rose looked alarmed, but Scorpius couldn't be sure whether it was of the positive or negative kind.

"I am well aware that I've done this many times," Scorpius said. "Not this," he added quickly, indicating to the ring, "but, I mean, in the position where I'm begging for forgiveness, quite often on my knees, trying to make up for my mistakes, and always making promises to you that I've failed to keep. I mean, just look at the first proposal," he scoffed. "Have I really done any of the things I promised to, throughout the whole of our engagement? But," he went on, "this time, if you let me – and I really mean it this time – I will never give you any reason to question me again."

"Scorpius," Rose interrupted wearily.

"No, I mean it, Rose. Once again, I acted like an idiot, and I let myself get blinded by things that weren't important to me. But _this_ time –"

"Has it ever crossed your mind that the only reason you've broken so many promises is because you make such unrealistic, unachievable ones?"

Scorpius wasn't sure what to say. "Well – I –"

"Look at me," Rose laughed gently. "I never promised to be perfect – I knew that wasn't reasonable! But I did promise to love you. And I do," she said shyly. "In spite of how many promises to me you break."

Scorpius let out a soft laugh, still holding the ring. He hadn't thought about it like that. Perhaps Rose was right – the only reason he so frequently failed to meet his own expectations was that he always set the bar too high. "Rose Weasley, where would I be without you?"

"I wouldn't want to know," Rose answered coyly, her eyes briefly flickering to the ring in his hands.

"Do you… want to wear it again?" Scorpius asked hopefully. "I mean – not just as a decoration or something – but like, with the, err, expectation that goes with it. Not – not expectation," he stuttered. "But I mean, like, being engaged to me… again."

Rose's eyes were filled with endearment. Scorpius hoped his returned it.

"Maybe one day I won't mess up a proposal to you," he said.

"I'm rather hoping this will be the last one," Rose replied, as coyly as before.

Scorpius couldn't contain the wonderment that filled his body. "You really mean it?" he breathed. "You – you want to be engaged to me again? To marry me? It doesn't have to be this weekend," he added quickly. "We can always postpone it. However long you like – whenever you're ready. And I promise I'll be more help this time and take it seriously. And I _will_ keep that promise, I swear. I –"

"Scorpius," Rose interrupted in amusement.

"Yeah?"

"Can I have the ring back now?"

"Oh, sure, yeah, of course." He fumbled with it as he gave it to her, but Rose slid it back onto her finger with easy grace. She pulled the fluff off. It looked well and truly at home.

Scorpius was still on his knees. "I – yeah – like I said – it doesn't have to be this weekend, if you don't want. I'm happy to wait until you're fully ready."

"I don't know," Rose said. "It just seems a shame, doesn't it? I mean, we _do_ have a perfectly good venue booked; all our friends and family have come home; we've got the plane tickets for the honeymoon…"

Scorpius' eyes lit up, and his heart was once again light. "You really mean it? We're really gonna do this?"

"Together," Rose confirmed. "Whatever happens, whether that's during the engagement, the wedding, or the marriage – we're gonna do it together. And hey, it _won't_ be perfect – and you can't promise me that it will – I realise that now. There _will_ be times when it's difficult, but that doesn't matter."

She reached out a hand to lovingly wind it into his hair.

"Listen, Rose," Scorpius said seriously. "I'm gonna give everything to us – I'll dedicate my whole life to loving you. I won't try to change you; I'll never hurt you – not intentionally anyway; I'll do whatever I have to do to make this work. I'll try to give you everything you deserve. And I can't promise that it's gonna be fine – I realise that now too – or that it's going to be easy, but I'm here if you're ready to try. My whole life, for better or worse, is all yours if you want it."

"Does it ever upset you," Rose asked, smirking fondly, and still lovingly running her fingers through his hair, "that I never say such romantic things to you?"

"Not at all," Scorpius replied with a grin. "You give me everything I could possibly need – I don't need you to say anything."

And then they kissed, Rose leaning forwards in her chair, and Scorpius still on his knees. There was a sense of deep yearning, and a blissful feeling of coming home. Both of them were still clad in their dressing gowns, but it wasn't for that reason that they both felt suddenly hot.

"Is, err, is Taylor going to be at your apartment tonight?" Scorpius murmured.

"No," Rose replied, softly biting her lower lip. "I can make sure she's not."

Scorpius suddenly stood up then, wildly excited, like he'd just remembered something particularly enthralling. Rose watched, with deep amusement, as he raced to the kitchen door, flung it wide open to where Gwen, Taylor, and Janey had clearly been eavesdropping, and yelled, with great triumph, "She said 'yes!'"

* * *

It was the first day of August, and the last day on which Rose and Scorpius would call the other their fiancé. Tomorrow, after what had been a rather stressful engagement, the two would finally be wed.

Neither of them had told anybody of the temporary calling off of the wedding, of course – they hadn't wanted to freak anybody out. Besides from the Gryffin-Girls, Ron and Hermione, and Albus (whom Scorpius had felt obliged to tell), everybody else was suitably in the dark.

That day on which they'd reconciled, the young lovers had decided (Rose, slightly reluctantly) to take a day off. Not a single ounce of effort went into the wedding, instead spending the day together, relaxing, and generally enjoying each other's company. It had been a happy relief from all the chaos.

And then later that evening, in Rose and Taylor's abandoned apartment, Rose and Scorpius had celebrated their reformed engagement in a way that they really couldn't have under the same roof as Rose's parents…

The next day they were better than ever. And had remained strong and united during those following four days.

"Guess who's getting married tomorrow!" Janey shrieked, rather unnecessarily, as even though they were all stood in the vast ballroom of the hotel in which Rose and Scorpius would be getting married, they were right next to each other, and the acoustics were rather excellent.

Rose felt a thrilling surge of energy shoot through her.

"Well," Janey said, "I mean, we _think_ you're getting married, but who knows? You might have another –"

"Janey," Gwen said with a condemning glare.

Rose just rolled her eyes. Nothing could spoil her happy mood; she was getting married tomorrow!

People were expected to arrive at the hotel all day, some being there as early as ten in the morning (such as Rose and the bridal party), and others not arriving until the evening. Rose felt exhilarated as more and more people showed up, all gathering in the ballroom, and even though it was chaotic trying to arrange all the final preparations for the wedding, she was immensely happy.

The dress, the cake, the flowers, the decorations – everything was where it should be. Nothing was going wrong. Rose had quite forgotten about Lily's dreaded prophecy, or her list of worst-case-scenarios.

That was, until the evening arrived, the drinks started flowing, and everything suddenly kicked off…

It all started with little Felix Lupin.

Not quite three years old, Teddy and Victoire's son was restless as evening settled, and was kicking up a terrible fuss.

"Victoire," Rose hissed at her, "can't you _do_ something?"

"Oh, no, he's fine," Victoire insisted, gently cooing at her screaming child, bouncing him up and down in her arms.

Rose looked around, embarrassed. There were so many people, and everybody was chatting excitedly in their own little groups, no one really paying attention to Felix, or being bothered by it at all, but it was driving Rose crazy.

"Teddy," she snapped, as the man half-responsible for the irritating child approached, also bending down to coo at his son.

"He's so cute, isn't he?"

"Yes," Rose said drily, "he's adorable. Can you please put him to bed or something though?"

Victoire frowned. "But he likes being around his family," she insisted, gesturing to the room which, admittedly, was vastly made up of Weasleys. "And people like getting to see him."

"Yes," Rose said through gritted teeth, "but these people are not here to see Felix, are they? They are here," she growled, "for _me."_

Teddy and Victoire were still obliviously fawning over their son, much to Rose's dangerously growing anger. "If we take Felix up to the room then that means one of us will have to stay with him," Teddy explained, ruffling Felix's hair in a cheery manner. The child continued to scream.

"So?"

Teddy frowned, looking at Rose. "Well, me and Vic want to stay down here with everyone."

"Okay, fine," Rose sighed. "How about one of you watches Felix tonight, and one of you watches him tomorrow night?"

Teddy and Victoire looked at each other. It was Victoire who answered. "But then we won't get to be together," she pouted.

Rose was about to start yelling, she knew it. "You live together!" she pointed out. "You're married – you see each other every single day."

"Yes, but not on occasions like _this_ ," Victoire said, looking enthralled by the grandeur of the ballroom.

"Okay, fine," Rose gave in, realising she wasn't going to make any progress. She turned to leave. "Just… slip him something to shut him up, alright?"

Rose walked away before she could see the looks of disgust on her cousin and her husband's faces. She knew she was being unreasonable, but that suppressed paranoia was creeping back in. Rose refused to let herself get as hysterical as she had done during the previous week, but suddenly every little fear was working its way back into her mind.

Not that Rose didn't adore little Felix, but she suddenly thought to herself, if she and Scorpius were ever going to have children (which, up until then, she'd hoped they might) it would _not_ be for a long while at least. It was rather ironic then, that the next problem she encountered was pregnancy-related.

Rose needed only to hear the hushed, but shocked murmur of _'you're actually going to have a baby?'_ from somewhere within a gathered group of her guests, as she'd been storming away from Teddy and Victoire, intent on finding Scorpius.

Rose whipped around in shock, instantly flaring up. _"What?"_ she demanded shrilly, storming towards the group.

Scorpius was amongst them, as were the three Gryffin-Girls, Ebony, James, Roxanne, Dominique, and to Rose's surprise (as she hadn't yet known they'd arrived, or greeted them), the current serving Headmistress of Hogwarts (and Ebony's mother) and her husband (the current Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor).

"Who's having a baby?" Rose growled, glaring at them all in accusation.

Each girl, in turn, looked horrified. Other than Gwen and Taylor, Rose thought them each as likely as the next of being the culprit. Roxanne and Dominique were notorious flirts, as Rose had witnessed on her hen do, and it would be _so_ like them to go and get themselves knocked up right before Rose's wedding.

"Who went and got pregnant?" Rose shrieked, glaring at Janey and then Ebony. They were both in serious relationships, after all, having been with their significant others long enough to maybe be having a baby – even if it had been unplanned.

Janey looked offended. Ebony looked mortified.

"Did you get Ebony pregnant?" Rose yelled at James.

"No," he said indignantly, looking at his wife in alarm. "Right?"

"No!" Ebony confirmed, still mortified.

"Who, then?" Rose demanded again, glaring at the group as a whole. "Who was stupid and selfish enough to get pregnant right before my wedding?"

Everybody looked at each other uncomfortably, Scorpius looking apologetic on Rose's behalf.

"Ah," Professor Bobbin said meekly, to Rose's absolute horror, "that would be me…"

"Sorry," Cepheus Roberts added sheepishly.

Rose herself could not have been more embarrassed, nor more shocked. Not only was it huge and unexpected news that Professor Bobbin was expecting a baby (she was only a year younger than Rose's parents, after all, and her only other child was Rose's age), but the way in which Rose had just addressed the matter had been hugely insensitive and rude.

And even if Bobbin was no longer her headmistress, and she hadn't seen her properly in two years, Rose had so much respect for the elder woman, and was disgusted by how she'd just accused her.

"Pr-professor Bobbin," Rose stuttered, her face flushed with colour. "I – I didn't mean to –"

"You don't have to call me 'Professor' anymore, Rose," Bobbin said, looking uncomfortable.

But Rose didn't think she could possibly address her by her first name. "I, err, I didn't mean to…"

Bobbin looked embarrassed for having put Rose in such a situation, guilty that she was with child.

 _She was with child._

But Rose couldn't understand it at all. Professor Bobbin was really _pregnant?_ On purpose, or…?

"You're… having a baby?" Rose asked, kind of hoping it was all a misunderstanding, or a wild joke.

Bobbin still looked highly uncomfortable about it all, and Rose didn't blame her. Not only was it awkward enough to be discussing her pregnancy with her former students, but after the way Rose had so shamed her too, it was no wonder she was so embarrassed. Roberts, however, looked delighted by it all. Rose could envision no one more suited to be a father.

"It wasn't, ah, it wasn't supposed to have been public knowledge," Bobbin meekly explained. "Especially not at your wedding, Rose. We weren't telling anybody yet…"

"That was my fault," Ebony admitted, looking almost as uncomfortable as her mother.

"You knew?" Rose asked. But of course Ebony had known; Bobbin was her mother, after all, and Ebony would be gaining a half-sibling.

"Not until now."

Rose now recognised that the shocked voice she'd heard, bringing the unexpected pregnancy to her attention, had been that of Ebony's. So she hadn't known. And Rose didn't care what the conversation had entailed, or how it had been brought up, because she felt immensely guilty for having made Bobbin feel so guilty in turn.

"That's wonderful," she breathed to Bobbin and Roberts. "Congratulations."

Again, Roberts looked thrilled, whilst Bobbin just looked uncomfortable. Had she not wanted a baby? – Rose wondered. Had it been unplanned?

But surely it must have been. Bobbin, being a woman of her age, the headmistress of a school, and already having had a strained, difficult relationship as a mother, never would have willingly tried for another baby, would she?

"Thank you, Rose," Roberts said with a broad grin, his beautiful dimples emphasised, "and to you too, of course."

"I'm – I'm not having a baby," Rose said in alarm, looking at Scorpius, wide-eyed, like he'd somehow impregnated her without her knowing.

"No," Roberts laughed gently, "I meant the wedding."

"Oh." Rose blushed. "Thank you. I'm… sorry for having overreacted."

"That's nothing – you should have seen Melinda's reaction."

Bobbin glared at him, like she did not think it appropriate to share such personal information. _Definitely unplanned_ , Rose thought.

"Are we still all going to treat this like it's such a casual thing?" Ebony suddenly demanded, looking at her mother with disdain. "You're _actually_ going to have a baby?"

"Please stop saying that," Bobbin murmured frantically, glancing around the room in case anybody else overheard.

"Are we just going to pretend this isn't a huge deal?"

"It's not," Roberts insisted. "Your mother and I have been married for three years, and now we're having a baby. It's perfectly normal." He spoke as calmly as though he'd explained it a hundred times (perhaps to a hysterical and disbelieving Bobbin).

"Well, firstly, it's _gross_ ," Ebony said, disgusted. "Secondly, you are in your forties –"

"Ebony!"

"– Cepheus is _half_ your age –"

"I'm only twelve years younger," Roberts pointed out.

"– and given the way you so badly _screwed up_ having a child the first time round, do you honestly think this is a good idea?"

Ebony's words were cold but justified. Rose was not angry that such an unexpected scene was being caused (one she couldn't possibly have predicted), but was just rather embarrassed by it all. Everybody else around looked like they'd rather be anywhere else.

"That's not fair, Ebony," Roberts said, coming to his wife's defence, as she herself looked suddenly lost and saddened by Ebony's cruel accusation. Bobbin's relationship with her daughter had always been one of the things, if not _the_ thing, which haunted her most. And they had been doing so well over the past few years…

"I didn't plan for this to happen," Bobbin tried to explain to her daughter in a pleading voice.

"I don't want to hear about the details of how you got pregnant!" Ebony shrieked.

"Please stop talking about it," Bobbin hissed, looking panicked again.

"Why?" Ebony demanded. "Rose was right – you were stupid enough to get pregnant –"

Rose blushed.

"– just like the first time – and yet again you're already shirking responsibility for the poor thing? You're already so full of regret?"

"Ebony," James said warily, before Roberts could condemn his daughter-in-law again. "We don't need to talk about this now…"

"Well, why shouldn't we? You know what," Ebony accused her mother, "maybe you can do the same thing you did with me. Maybe you can just _ignore_ the fact that you have a child –"

"Ebony," James said more firmly, actually looking fierce. Rose rarely saw him get angry with his beloved. "Please, let's not discuss this now. We're here to celebrate Rose and Scorpius' wedding. This can wait."

Ebony did actually look apologetic at that, and glanced guiltily towards Rose. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I just…"

"It's fine," Rose lied, still deeply mortified by the whole situation.

"You don't understand what it is to be a mother," Bobbin said sadly.

Ebony glared at her. "And you honestly think _you_ do?"

Rose was once again mortified – hadn't they _just_ finished bickering about it? James was right – this wasn't a conversation for right then. Not because she thought it was overshadowing her wedding, but because it was just greatly uncomfortable for those who it did not concern.

"Ebony," Bobbin pleaded, "if you were in my situation –"

"I would never be in your situation!" Ebony hissed. "You are the very reason I will _never_ want to be a mother – not until I'm a hundred percent ready. I could never do to a child, what you did to me – I could never raise a child under those circumstances. Or rather, as you opted for, _not_ raise a child," she said snidely.

"And you won't ever have to," Bobbin desperately pointed out. "You have a loyal, committed husband by your side – I didn't have that the first time. You have friends and family who'll support you through it all. I regret what happened between us so much. I won't make the same mistakes I made last time."

"So I was a trial run?" Ebony asked.

"No, not at all – that's not what I meant! Listen," Bobbin sighed. "If you were having a baby –"

"Which I'm not," Ebony said shrilly, sharing a frightened look with James.

"No, but if you were –"

"Which we're not," James said, almost as shrilly.

Rose found their behaviour suspicious. It was clear they were both terrified at the thought of being parents – and that was perfectly understandable, of course, given their young age, and both of theirs fear of commitment (it had been a shock when they'd so hastily gotten married) – but Rose wondered if there was more to it. James and Ebony had been married for three years too, even longer than Bobbin and Roberts (if only by a couple of months); had they perhaps discussed the idea of having a child? Had it been a recent point of discussion for the married couple?

"Okay, fine, it doesn't matter," Bobbin sighed. "And really, we do _not_ need to discuss this now. We are here," she reminded them, just as James had, "to celebrate Rose and Scorpius' wedding."

"Whatever," Ebony said, finally losing her patience. She dismissed herself from the group, not storming off like she was angry, but just like she was bored of it all.

James hesitated for a while, as though deciding whether he should follow her or remain with the group. "We're _not_ having a baby," he assured the remaining group for no particular reason, before he too departed, having decided to go with Ebony.

"I'm sorry about that, Rose," Bobbin apologised, looking after her daughter with sadness and longing. "I really didn't want this to get out at your wedding. And I, umm, I'd really appreciate it if this could be kept to yourselves for now." She looked at all her former students with a fierce, steely gaze, like she was still their headmistress.

They all mumbled, everybody hoping to escape the situation as soon as possible.

"Does Kingsley know?" Rose asked tentatively, thinking about what the pregnancy would mean on a more practical scale. Bobbin surely could not remain as Headmistress of Hogwarts if she was to raise a baby. That had been the reason she'd had to give Ebony up in the first place…

"No," Bobbin replied in a small voice. "That's why I wanted to keep this in the dark for a while longer."

But how much longer could Bobbin really delay? It was August – Hogwarts would need a new headmaster in September. It wasn't like Bobbin could raise a secret child!

Rose took in the appearance of her former headmistress for the first time that evening. Even though she was nearing fifty, Melinda Bobbin was truly beautiful, just as her daughter was. Perhaps because of her height, she had a noticeably slim figure, but not even a slight protrusion to suggest she was carrying life within her womb. Then again, Rose did not know how far along into her pregnancy she was. But it was clear, now that Rose knew, that Professor Bobbin was pregnant – not by her non-existent bump, but because she was well and truly glowing.

"Everything will be fine, Professor," Rose said kindly. "With Hogwarts, with the baby – with Ebony."

"I hope so," Bobbin murmured. She perked up slightly, offering both Rose and Scorpius a warm, proud smile. "And as I don't believe I've said it yet – congratulations to you both. I'm sure marriage will treat you well indeed."

Rose and Scorpius shared a smile, with the latter stretching out to squeeze the former's hand. Bobbin and Roberts dismissed themselves from the group to go and talk to people their own age. And as Roxanne and Dominique headed for the bar, Rose and Scorpius found themselves alone with the three other Gryffin-Girls.

"Nice one, Rose," Janey said with dry humour. "That wasn't rude or overdramatic at all."

"Hey," Scorpius said defensively, still holding on to Rose's hand.

"It was just… a bit of a shock," Rose mumbled.

"Oh, yeah, and thanks for assuming it was _me_ who was pregnant! Honestly" – Janey rolled her eyes – "like I'd ever dream of upstaging you on such a huge day."

"Oh, come on," Gwen said, "it wasn't like Professor Bobbin planned to have a baby – especially not for the very purpose of upstaging Rose's wedding. There's a reason she wanted to keep it to herself."

"Yeah, I guess," Janey agreed, using her left hand to flick her fringe out of her eyes.

With the movement, a sudden twinkle caught Rose's eye. She took a sharp intake of breath. "What is _that?"_ she asked quietly, accusatorily.

Janey immediately grabbed hold of her left hand with her right, shielding it from their view. All the colour had drained from her face. "Nothing," she said, too quickly for it not to raise suspicion from them all.

Gwen and Taylor had clearly seen it too, and looked just as startled. Scorpius alone remained oblivious.

"It's just a ring," Janey insisted.

"No," Taylor breathed in shock, grabbing hold of Janey's hand, "that's an _engagement_ ring."

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:** A little bit in the middle there was inspired by Demi Lovato's song 'Yes'_

 _There will be another chapter tomorrow :)_


	8. The Pre-Drinks

**EDIT:** Alright guys, I'm a dirty liar - the final chapters were supposed to both be uploaded this weekend (4th and 5th December) but I've been super busy and I can't make any promises. I'm really sorry, I'll do my best. I'm aiming now for one this weekend, and one later this week, but we'll see how it goes. I'm really sorry, I know I'm so bad at keeping to my upload schedule :(

* * *

 **Chapter 8 – The Pre-Drinks**

 _That's an engagement ring._

Janey had gone as white as paper, and was clearly floundering between whether to confirm or deny such a shocking claim. Gwen, Taylor, Rose, and Scorpius (now that he realised) were all in a state of deep shock. Suddenly Bobbin's pregnancy seemed like the most casual discovery in the world.

A beautiful silver ring was positioned on the fourth finger of Janey's left hand, gleaming shiny and new. Rose was speechless.

"You're… engaged?" she eventually managed to ask. It did not sound right, spoken out loud. It did not make _sense._

Janey just floundered some more, looking like a startled deer, or a child who'd been caught out doing something they shouldn't have. She glanced, panicked and wide-eyed, at each of her friends.

"To who?" Rose asked stupidly.

"It's – it's not a big deal," Janey mumbled, snatching her hand out of Taylor's clutch, and wringing it in her other one. She looked highly uncomfortable at being the focal point of everybody's attention – surely a first for Janey. She flashed a particularly fearful and guilty look towards Rose.

"It really is," Taylor insisted, her eyes looking particularly wide behind her oversized glasses.

"Janey…?" Gwen asked questioningly, but seemed unsure of how to finish.

"You are _engaged?"_ Rose asked again, already starting to sound a little hysterical. Scorpius didn't even look embarrassed this time – he was as deeply in shock. "To… _Sam?_ "

"Well" – Janey hesitated, "I mean, sure, yeah, _technically._ But –"

"What do you mean _technically?"_ Rose demanded. How could you be unsure about whether you were engaged or not? You either were or you weren't – it wasn't a difficult question! "Did Sam propose to you?"

"Well –"

"Did Samuel Tyler," Rose said through gritted teeth, "get down on one knee and ask you to marry him?"

Janey was blushing now; the colour that had drained from her face was suddenly all rushing back. "He wasn't on one knee," she mumbled dismissively. "He was just kind of _there_ , and I – well, I was sort of sat down, and he was there and – you know what? _No._ No, I am not talking about this!"

Janey was back to herself. No longer jittery and submissive, she was stubborn and fierce, and glaring at Rose like _she_ was somehow in the wrong. Rose's expression was dangerous at being challenged.

"Janey!" she shrieked. "Sam actually asked you to marry him?"

"Yes," Janey sighed, growing impatient with the interrogation.

Rose was shocked that she'd actually admitted it, and seemed, for the most part, very casual about it all. "And you said _yes?"_

"No," Janey retorted sarcastically, "but I thought I'd wear the ring because it was so shiny."

Rose was glowering now. Everybody else, besides Janey, (and particularly Scorpius), looked fearful for the blonde girl's fate. Pissing off the bride on the eve of her wedding was definitely inadvisable. Especially when that bride happened to be Rose Weasley…

"Okay, look," Scorpius cut in. Although he himself was in shock, he thought he better do something to calm the situation down before it got out of hand. "Whatever's going on here, we don't _really_ need to discuss it now, do we?"

"No!" Rose shrieked at him. "No, I _want_ to discuss this, and I want to discuss it _now_." She turned back to Janey, like a mother scolding her child. "You are honestly telling me that you are going to _marry_ Sam?"

Janey looked defensive, but not argumentative. "It isn't a big deal," she said quietly.

"It _is_ ," Rose insisted shrilly, just as Taylor had done earlier. "Do you not understand how huge a commitment marriage is? Do you not understand the effort, and the compromise, and the _stress_ –"

"Rose, sweetie, we're getting married tomorrow," Scorpius reminded her.

"Exactly!" Rose exclaimed, oddly triumphant, and completely missing the point. "We're getting _married_ tomorrow, and you thought it was a good idea to announce your engagement _tonight?_ "

"I didn't announce it!" Janey protested. "I didn't tell anybody! Me and Sam agreed not to tell anybody. We _knew_ it would upset you – it's like Bobbin and Roberts."

"But you were wearing the ring for everybody to see," Rose accused. "You weren't exactly _hiding_ the fact that you were engaged."

"I've been wearing the ring all week! It's not my fault if you only just noticed it."

"When, exactly, did this happen?" Rose asked, calming herself, but still seething.

"I don't know," Janey mumbled, with one of her infamous shrugs. "Monday?"

"Monday?" Rose repeated. "The Monday after me and Scorpius got re-engaged?"

"Oh, come on" – Janey rolled her eyes – "it's not like you were ever really _un-engaged._ It's not like I was copying you or something! I didn't know Sam was going to do what he did."

"No, but you said 'yes,'" Rose reminded her coldly.

Janey shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "So?"

" _So?_ Janey, this is _marriage_ we're talking about!"

Gwen and Taylor, noticing how distressed Janey was getting by the talks of such an infinitely important commitment as the one she had apparently agreed to, decided to step in. The poor girl was looking more and more terrified as Rose condemned her and pointed out the requirements of the hasty decision she'd made.

"Rose, no," Gwen said warily. She gave a slight shake of head, trying to get Rose to see how distressed Janey was getting.

"We can discuss this… later," Taylor said, still in a daze from it all.

Rose did notice then, and forced herself to take it down a notch. It was less than twenty-four hours to her wedding, and whilst she'd remarkably avoided becoming Bridezilla Rose over the past week, she knew she was only a breakdown away from it.

But could you blame her?

It had certainly been a shock to find out Bobbin and Roberts were expecting a child, but to find out that Sam and Janey were engaged to be married? Rose had never foreseen this possibility. Her worst-case-scenario list (which was fulfilling itself rather frighteningly) had included somebody announcing their engagement, and thus upstaging Rose and Scorpius' own nuptials, but Rose had struggled to think of somebody who could possibly make the startling announcement.

She had dismissed Janey and Sam as easily as casting a feather into a gale-force wind. They would never be engaged; they would never be married! Rose was less surprised that Sam had asked Janey, but she was outright astounded that Janey had actually agreed to go through with it.

It wasn't that Janey didn't love Sam, or at the least, deeply care for him – they had been together long enough for anybody to see that – but she _hated_ marriage. She feared it!

Just a month ago, when the Gryffin-Girls had been reunited at lunch, Janey had scoffed at the idea of marriage, shunned it for being an unnecessary waste of time. But she _had_ expressed a great fondness for the wedding itself, Rose viciously recalled. Had being surrounded by the thrill of wedding planning (not that Rose had surely made it look fun), made her crave such a glorified and grand occasion for herself?

Just a month ago Janey had seemed to barely care, or be aware of the fact, that she was even dating Sam. But she had said _yes_ to marrying him?

Janey was the last person Rose ever would have expected to announce her engagement. And it would have been a shock at any time in her life, but the day before Rose and Scorpius' wedding? Rose was furious. But suddenly not at Janey.

"Come on," Rose ordered, gripping hold of Scorpius' arm and dragging him away.

"Rose, wait!" Gwen called out, as Rose dragged a confused Scorpius away from the trio of girls.

"No," Rose called back dismissively. "I'm over it."

"Rose," Scorpius said warily, as she continued to march him away – towards the bar? "Are we going to drink?" he asked in confusion. Whilst everybody else was clearing making the most of the inclusive bar (some more than others), Scorpius didn't think he and Rose, at least, should be drinking too much on the night before their wedding. Not after the disaster of the stag and hen do…

But it became clear that Rose wasn't heading to the bar for practical reasons, but because she sought out the couple of men that were sat at it. Well, one of them at least.

"I know who's going to die tomorrow – at the wedding," Rose said calmly, as she continued to storm towards the bar.

"What – _who?"_

"Sam," Rose replied calmly. "Because I'm going to _kill_ him."

Rose and Scorpius had finally closed the distance across the ballroom.

" _Sam!"_ Rose yelled at the unsuspecting young man, looking like she was about to punch him off the barstool. "What the _hell_ were you thinking – proposing to Janey in the same week of my wedding?"

" _Our_ wedding," Scorpius corrected under his breath.

Sam looked as alarmed as Janey had. "I – what? I – err –"

"I'm sorry, _what?"_ James asked, sliding down from the barstool next to Sam. "You asked Janey to marry you?"

"And Janey said 'yes!'" Rose shrieked.

"Oh my gosh," James said, deeply impressed, "congratulations, man!"

"No!" Rose said furiously. "No, this isn't okay! Why, Sam – how could possibly think of asking Janey to marry you?"

Sam looked just as uncomfortable as everybody else that Rose had called out that evening. "For the same reason that Scorpius asked you, and – and James asked Ebony," he explained, looking confused by such a trick question. "And the same reason anybody asks _anybody_ to marry them."

"And you couldn't have waited just one more week?" Rose growled threateningly. "You couldn't have waited until _after_ me and Scorpius had gotten married?"

Sam was blushing now, and trying to avoid eye contact. "Alright, okay, fine, it wasn't my _best_ idea. The timing wasn't great – I see that now. But we did agree not to tell anybody," he pointed out, as though this might change Rose's perspective of him.

It didn't.

"How could you be so selfish?"

"Rose," James sighed. "Two of your best friends just not engaged. Two of your best friends who, let's face it, we never expected to get engaged. You're having a tantrum because you think it will upstage your wedding, right? And you're calling _Sam_ the selfish one?"

Rose looked to Scorpius for help, but he just shook his head. "But –"

"We won't tell anybody," Sam promised her. "I – wait, how did you even find out?"

"I, ah, saw the ring," Rose admitted. "And then yelled at her…"

"Oh God," Sam said, eyes widening. "Did she freak out?"

"Umm…"

Sam was racing away in a panic before anybody could stop him, probably to calm his intended down. Rose let him go, feeling immediately ashamed of the way she'd, once again, overreacted. "I'm doing it again," she mumbled sadly. "Aren't I?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if we saw Scorpius taking off like that tomorrow morning," James said light-heartedly, before taking a sip from his drink.

"I'm not going to," Scorpius assured Rose, glaring at James. Scorpius getting cold feet right before the ceremony being Rose's no. 1 worst case scenario, of course. "And you're… fine," he lied.

"No," Rose dismissed, "I'm being a bridezilla again."

"No," Scorpius said quickly, at the same time as James said 'yes.'

Rose glared at her elder cousin. "Can you not drink so much tonight, please?" she ordered, thinking back to her list.

She'd already had a pregnancy and an engagement announcement. At least divorce certainly didn't seem on the cards. All the couples she'd feared – Bobbin and Roberts, James and Ebony, Teddy and Victoire – seemed happier and more in love than ever before. The only other married couples would be her parents, and aunts and uncles. Rose whipped her head around the room, suddenly terrified, but every married couple seemed perfectly happy. She decided firmly that she could cross that one off.

But what about the others?

 _James could get outrageously drunk and cause a scene._ Rose wasn't taking her chances.

"This is coke, Rose," James said. "You know – coca cola? It's non-alcoholic," he explained, noticing her blank expression.

"Why aren't you drinking?" Rose asked suspiciously. Forget the pregnancy and the engagement – _that_ was the most uncharacteristic thing she'd heard all evening.

James shrugged. "There's always tomorrow night."

Rose was about to protest, but it was at that point that Albus came sauntering over to the three of them. "Hey, Al," Scorpius greeted.

Albus didn't respond. Instead he asked Rose, with a perfectly straight face, "Who's your Maid of Honour?"

Rose was certainly taken aback. "Why?"

"Because I'm Best Man," he explained, like it was obvious, "and it's traditional for the Best Man and the Maid of Honour to hook up. So, you know, I was just wondering who I'm supposed to be… hooking up with tomorrow."

Whilst Scorpius found it deeply amusing, Rose was a little disgusted.

James slapped a hand onto his younger brother's shoulder, smiling broadly. He was a fair bit taller than Albus, and therefore rather intimidating. "That would be my _wife_ , little brother, so don't even think about it."

Albus' face fell.

 _Someone unexpected could hook up and cause a huge scandal that upstages us._

Rose narrowed her eyes. "You do know that all my bridesmaids are my friends, right? Exactly which one would you have _ever_ been okay with 'hooking up' with?" she asked, unimpressed.

Albus looked sheepish. "No one," he mumbled, taking a sip of his drink, which Rose strongly suspected, unlike James', was alcoholic. She was starting to think this 'open bar' thing might not have been such a great idea.

"I need to check something with my mum," Rose announced, ignoring Albus' shifty attitude.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Scorpius offered politely.

"No," Rose snapped, before stalking off across the ballroom.

"It will get better," James said wisely, as Albus excused himself to get another drink from the bar. Scorpius expected Rose would want him to stop him, but he was too intrigued by what James had to say.

"What will?"

"Marriage."

"Hmm," Scorpius murmured.

"I have to admit," James piped up cheerily, "seeing how fun all this wedding planning stuff is, really makes me happy that me and Ebony eloped."

"I just want to make Rose happy," Scorpius said sadly. "Whatever it takes – whatever it is I have to do – I want her to be happy."

"Even if you're miserable in the process?"

"I'm not miserable," Scorpius said defensively, offended by such an implication. "Stressed maybe, but not, _never_ , miserable. Not when it comes to Rose."

"Good."

"Were you…" Scorpius hesitated, wondering whether he should dare. It wasn't exactly like he and James had deep talks as such. "Were you nervous, the night before your wedding?"

"Teddy!" James yelled, to Scorpius' complete shock. He gestured for the man, whom had been passing, to come over. "We're giving Scorpius marriage advice," he explained, to Scorpius' great discomfort.

"Umm…"

"No, I wasn't nervous," James answered Scorpius' question. "Well, only nervous that Ebony would freak out, or run away, or call it off or something. I was never nervous about actually going through with it."

But James and Ebony hadn't even been engaged, Scorpius reminded himself. They had acted recklessly, on an impulse, at just seventeen and eighteen years of age. They had not had to endure months of being engaged – of wedding planning, and drama, and worries, and stress. There had never been enough time to get nervous.

"It depends whether you're nervous about the wedding or the marriage," Teddy said kindly.

Scorpius looked to his second cousin. "Is there a difference?" he asked worriedly.

Teddy considered it. "I wasn't afraid of the wedding. That to me wasn't difficult at all – all I had to do was stand there, repeat a few lines in front of my family, and enjoy the celebrations. But I was deathly afraid of the marriage."

Scorpius was surprised. "You were?"

"Of course," Teddy agreed. "Right before the ceremony, the morning of the wedding, I was suddenly filled with all this doubt. Would I be a good husband? Was I even worthy of being Victoire's husband?"

"I remember that," James said fondly. "You were a mess."

"Thanks, James."

"But look how well it turned out," he pointed out, with a smile. "You've been married for five years, perfectly happy, and you have a son now. Where is your son, by the way?" he asked, looking around in confusion.

"With Vic's mum," Teddy laughed. "But yeah, you're right. Fear is normal, Scorpius," he told the blonde boy kindly, "and it's normal to be nervous right before your wedding – whether that's with regards to the wedding or the marriage itself."

Scorpius relaxed slightly. "But how do I make her happy all the time?"

"You can't," James snorted. "They're women. There will be times when they want nothing more than to rip your balls off and –"

"It's not that bad," Teddy cut in, looking alarmed. "I think what James is trying to say" – he glared at the boy in question – "is that it's never going to be easy. There will be times where marriage puts you to the test, but that's okay. Healthy, even. Marriage is wonderful, Scorpius, and I more than believe that you and Rose will be good at it. The good times will always outweigh the difficult times."

"But, I mean, what do you do about…? I mean" – Scorpius blushed – "how many times should I –"

" _Ah._ " James' eyes had lit up with wicked mirth, and he was smirking. "You're talking about 'making love,' as it were. Well," he said boastfully, oblivious to Scorpius' horror, "I don't know about you, but for me and Ebony, _every day_ we have –"

"No!" Scorpius interrupted, mortified. "No, James, that's not what I was talking about at all! And that's… that's _gross."_ Ebony was one of his closest friends, after all, and she _was_ technically his ex-girlfriend.

James just looked amused by it all, whilst Teddy seemed impressed, if not slightly alarmed. " _Every_ day?" he asked in awe.

"Yep," James boasted, looking delighted with himself. "Pretty much. I mean, unless she's tired, or I'm tired, or – who am I kidding, we're _always_ up for it."

"James, that is _not_ what I was asking you about," Scorpius said furiously.

But James wasn't listening. "Here, watch this," he said smugly, before sauntering away from them towards Ebony, who had her back to them and was engaged in conversation with Victoire and Hermione.

Scorpius and Teddy watched in amusement as James approached her, saying "Hey, babe!" enthusiastically, and slapping her, with great vigour, on her backside.

Ebony turned to face him with a face like thunder, instinctively reaching out a hand to slap him, with even more vigour, across the face. "James!" she could be heard saying in a shrill, condemning voice. "Don't be so crude! What is _wrong_ with you – I'm trying to have a nice, sophisticated conversation with your family, and then you just –"

James returned to Teddy and Scorpius a while later looking sheepish and shell-shocked, clutching his reddened face. Scorpius raised his eyebrows.

"You may laugh now," James said, perking up again, "but you should see that aggression in the bedroom when she –"

"Okay, that's enough," Scorpius interrupted, once and for all. "As amusing as your failed sexual advances on your wife are, that is _not_ what I wanted to talk to you about. I meant, like" – he struggled to find the words – "how often should I _do_ things for her? Little romantic things? Like buy her flowers, and bring her breakfast in bed, and take her out to dinner and stuff?"

"Oh," James said, looking disappointed. "I don't know; I never do any of that stuff."

Teddy rolled his eyes. " _How_ is it that you have such a strong, healthy relationship?" he asked sarcastically.

"Well, like I said, _physically_ , every day me and Ebony are –"

"I am done with this conversation," Scorpius announced, raising his hands in defeat and walking away. "Thank you, Teddy," he said, spinning around on his heel to address his relative. "And thank you, to some degree, James."

Both men looked content, James particularly so, as Scorpius left. He wasn't sure he could ever look Ebony in the eye again. Instead he was looking for his bride-to-be, just so as to make sure she wasn't overreacting about anything else.

He found her quickly. She was.

"You don't have to be anywhere near each other!" Rose was shrieking at Jinx and Albireo. "You can sit on one side of the aisle, Jinx, and you can sit on the other side, Albireo, as far away as possible!"

Scorpius half considered spinning abruptly on his heel and abandoning the argument before he even got sucked into it. Was that cruel on Rose though?

It didn't matter, because Albireo spotted him and gestured at him. "Scorpius has been my friend _way_ longer than Jinx was your friend – why should I be shunned?"

Rose turned and saw Scorpius, glaring at him like it was somehow his fault that he and Albireo had been assigned the same dorm room on their first day of Hogwarts.

"Err," Scorpius said awkwardly, really not wanting to get involved, "I'm sure we can resolve this in a polite, sophisticated way."

Jinx swore so loudly that Rose had to look around to check her grandparents weren't anywhere within earshot. "Jinx, please," she begged.

"No, it's bad enough that I'm literally the only from our group who wasn't made a bridesmaid, and now you won't even let me sit with you during the reception."

 _Oh_ , Scorpius groaned internally, _the bloody seating plan_.

"You are more than welcome to sit with the other bridesmaids," Rose said calmly, "but in that case you will also have sit on the same table as Albireo –"

Jinx wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"– and if that's going to be a problem for you then –"

"It's obviously going to be a problem for me!" Jinx yelled.

"Then sit somewhere else," Albireo said under his breath.

Rose just glared at him; he wasn't helping the situation.

"Look," Scorpius finally stepped in, "can't you guys just get over it for one day?"

"I don't have a problem with it," Albireo mumbled, earning him Jinx's wrath again.

"If you don't want to sit on the same table at the reception then –"

"I also don't want him anywhere near me during the ceremony," Jinx added unhelpfully.

"– then work it out between yourselves," Scorpius finished. "This is not Rose's problem. She's been doing her best, alright? She's got enough going on with regards to the wedding, and she does _not_ need this too. We wanted both of you here," he scolded, "but if you can't work it out for _one single day_ then we don't want either of you here. Understand?"

Rose flashed him a look of warmth and appreciation, but Scorpius didn't notice; he was too busy glaring at his fellow Slytherins. They both looked ashamed.

"Fine," Jinx mumbled, sulking and pouting, "but if I ever get married then you're not coming to my wedding."

" _I'll_ do my best," Albireo promised, giving Jinx a cold look.

Rose found a vivid, and rather disturbing image, came to her mind, of the first time she'd ever laid eyes on Jinx and Albireo. She had not known it was socially acceptable, in any situation, to put on such a passionate public display of affection…

"Whatever," Jinx sighed, like she was _so_ done with the conversation. She departed, leaving Albireo to offer Rose and Scorpius an apologetic look, before he too left the couple, going in the opposite direction to his ex.

Rose fell into Scorpius' side, exhausted, as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "I can't handle much more this evening," she sighed.

"Forty-eight hours and we'll be leaving it all behind," he promised, planting a gentle kiss on top of her head.

But would they really? – Rose wondered. Unexpected pregnancies and engagements, and arguments between exes, seemed the least of their problems when she thought back to what Lily had promised was in store for them tomorrow night.

"I'm sure weddings aren't supposed to be this much work."

"No," Scorpius murmured in agreement, "but then again, when has any aspect of our relationship ever been easy? It wouldn't be _us_ without a whole lot of drama, would it?"

Rose smiled at that. It was true, her and Scorpius' relationship had never been easy, but never strictly due to their own fault. "Has everybody arrived now?" Rose asked.

"Everybody we were expecting this evening," Scorpius confirmed.

 _Well_ , Rose thought, _at least that was something to be grateful for._

Or was it? Somebody, quite possibly already at the venue, would meet their death tomorrow. Rose had never felt so helpless. They were all right – Lily, Scorpius, Hermione – there was nothing Rose could do to prevent fate.

She noticed Taylor passing by, looking uncharacteristically sulky. "Taylor," Rose called out, unwrapping herself from Scorpius' arm, "is everything alright? What are you doing?"

"Avoiding your stupid cousin."

Rose frowned. She had a lot of cousins, but none that Taylor had any kind of history with. "Which one?"

"Ha!" Taylor scoffed. "I'm not saying _his_ name."

 _His?_ Rose hurriedly racked her brain. Which of her male cousins was Taylor referring to? James, Albus, Fred, or Louis? Taylor barely knew Fred and Louis, but she knew James and Albus well. What had either of them done to aggravate her so much?

"James?" Rose guessed, as he seemed the most likely candidate to piss anybody off.

Taylor just rolled her eyes.

"Albus?" Rose asked uncertainly.

Taylor flinched.

Rose and Scorpius shared a glance, both of them frowning. Rose gave him a questioning look, which Scorpius had unknowingly imitated. Both of them shook their heads, both as confused as the other.

Taylor, just as Albus appeared to have earlier, had clearly been enjoying the free bar. That wasn't good, Rose thought. Taylor was an angry drinker…

"Did he… do something to you?" Rose queried, at a complete loss for what this might be about. "Say something?"

Taylor didn't say anything; she just looked even angrier.

"He didn't say anything about… being Best Man?" Rose asked, thinking back to his comments to her, James, and Scorpius earlier that evening. _Oh Merlin_ , she thought with deep alarm, he hadn't tried to hook up with Taylor, had he?

Taylor just looked confused. "What?"

"Or, you know" – Rose blushed – "'hooking up' with you. Because he's been drinking, Taylor, and I'm sure he wouldn't have meant to offend you if he –"

Taylor's look of confusion had quickly morphed to that of anger and disgust. "I wouldn't _sleep_ with him," she hissed. "Not again."

It took a moment for the words to sink in. Once they'd processed, Rose felt like she'd just been slapped – abrupt and shocking.

"I – _what?"_ she asked, feeling stupid.

Taylor didn't look fazed. She appeared irritated and impatient. "I said I _wouldn't_ sleep with him again."

Well, that's what Rose had _thought_ she'd heard. But that was just absurd! Taylor? Taylor and _Albus?_ But she was joking, surely. She had to be.

"Are you – you err," Scorpius stuttered, unable to wrap his mind around it either. _"What?"_

"I _said_ ," Taylor repeated for the third time, her patience wearing incredibly thin, "I am _not_ sleeping with –"

" _Oh my God,_ "Rose cut across in a panic, unsure whether she could actually listen to it again. "Oh my God, Taylor!"

"What?"

"You – you – you –"

" _What,_ Rose?"

"You slept with my cousin!?"

"Oh, get over it," Taylor sighed, as though this hadn't just been sprung on Rose. "It was, like, a year ago or something."

"What?" Scorpius repeated, almost as shocked as Rose. He'd been living with Albus ever since they'd left Hogwarts two years ago. Never once had Scorpius heard of any kind of rendezvous between his and Rose's respective best friends. Wasn't that the kind of thing bros were supposed to talk about? Girls they'd hooked up with, even if it was just a one night stand? Especially when the girl was one of their very close friends?

Rose too was scanning her memories for any kind of indication that Taylor and Albus had apparently spent a night together. She and Taylor told each other _everything_. They were typical girls – they always talked about boys, and romance, and their emotions and stuff – it's what they did!

Taylor had never said anything about Albus – she'd never even looked at him twice! She'd once had a short-lived, highly unemotional relationship with Sam back in Fourth Year, (expressly for the purpose of making Rose jealous – on both of their parts), but _Albus?_

They had never had any chemistry! Not that Rose had ever noticed, at least. What on earth could possibly be the context for such an affair? Why had neither Rose nor Scorpius had any kind of indication about this?

Rose was furious with herself. She had never paid any attention to the interaction between Albus and Taylor. They'd never been angry or resentful of each other (not like Sam and Janey always had been), but they'd never really been particularly close – either at Hogwarts or after. Had there been something cold and awkward between them that she'd never even picked up on?

This was a _huge_ surprise. Bobbin and Roberts' pregnancy now seemed incredibly tame! Janey and Sam's engagement not so much, but until Rose got more details, Albus and Taylor were certainly taking the award for shock reveal of the evening.

"A _year_ ago?" Rose repeated. "And you never thought to tell me!"

Taylor looked offended. "It's none of your business what I do in my private life," she said indignantly.

"I bloody do if it involves my cousin!"

"Yeah?" Taylor asked. "Well, it doesn't matter anymore anyway. Believe me, it's well in the past."

"But – but –"

"I'm not telling you anything, Rose," Taylor interrupted. "So don't even bother."

Rose didn't doubt her. Taylor was ridiculously stubborn when she wanted to be, and if she'd not mentioned anything in a year then Rose knew she wouldn't tell her anything more that evening. But she was _not_ letting this go.

"I'll ask him then!" she declared.

"Go for it," Taylor said drily. "But if he tries to convince you he's not in the wrong then he's a liar. And a complete arsehole," she added, quite unnecessarily.

Scorpius was still incapable of forming any real sentences.

"I – okay," Rose said, still unable to comprehend anything she'd just been told. "Well, I – okay," she gulped. "I will – ask him, that is. Right now."

She took hold of Scorpius' hand and pulled him back in the direction of where they'd last seen Albus. Why was it that she seemed to have spent the whole evening darting across from one side of the ballroom to the other? Albus was at the bar, having just ordered a new drink. Rose wanted to slap him, but composed herself. She didn't know the context, after all. But still, she was _angry._ Incredibly so.

"Hey!" she barked, almost considering upending his drink over him.

Albus looked startled. "What?"

"You _slept_ with Taylor? With my best friend!?"

"No," he replied, looking as indignant as Taylor had. "Only that one time."

"That 'one time' is what I'm talking about!"

"Oh," – Albus took a sip of his drink – "then yeah."

"Yeah?" Rose repeated, her voice rising an octave. Why were both he and Taylor treating it so casually? _"Yeah?_ And did you ever think, oh, I don't know, that you might share this with me?"

Albus considered it for a moment. "No?" he guessed.

Rose was dangerously close to one of the two things she'd considered doing earlier. It would satisfy her more to slap him, but ultimately be more effective to empty the contents of his glass over his head.

"When?" Scorpius asked, still in a state of disbelief. "Like… _how?"_

"I'm not telling you details," Albus said, disgusted.

"No," Scorpius said in horror, "I – I don't want to know _those_ kind of details! I – I just – how did this even happen?"

"And why is Taylor so pissed off with you? What did you do to her?" Rose demanded.

"Nothing," Albus insisted. "We're _fine._ She's fine, I'm fine – it's all fine."

He was lying, but Rose didn't know enough to call him out on it. Something big and dramatic had gone down, and she was determined to figure out what. Taylor was clearly resentful about something, and Albus was clearly guilty of something, but trying to dismiss it like it was nothing. But maybe the night before her wedding wasn't the best time to try and get to the bottom of it, Rose decided.

" _I'm_ not fine," she growled. Maybe she didn't want any details just then, but that didn't mean she didn't feel incredibly angry and betrayed by the cousin she considered herself to be closest to. "You can't sleep with my best friend, Albus. You're my cousin – it's just not done!"

"Are you kidding me?" Albus asked, incredulous. "Firstly – James and Ebony?"

"That's different," Rose dismissed. "I was never as close to Ebony as I was with Taylor, and I was never as close to James as I was with you. And besides, they're married!"

"You want me to marry Taylor?" Albus asked in confusion.

"Absolutely not!"

"Why is this such a big deal to you?" he challenged.

"Albus!" Rose shrieked. "Taylor is my best friend and you're my cousin – it's just not done, okay? There are rules!"

"Which brings me to my second point." Albus grabbed hold of Scorpius, who still just looked alarmed. "This is my best friend, yeah? You understand that, right? Are you also aware that you're my cousin? _Hmm?_ "

Okay, Rose got his point, and started blushing immediately. She had always felt guilty about getting involved with Scorpius for that reason – he had been Albus' best friend long before Rose had ever gotten involved with him. And she'd realised that it was weird for Albus, given the dynamics of their trio, but that was nothing like what he was suggesting.

"That's – that's completely different," Rose stuttered.

"Is it?" Albus asked sarcastically, releasing his grip on Scorpius. "Cousin plus best friend?"

"It _is_ different," Rose insisted. "It's not like me and Scorpius are just sleeping with each other! We're in love," she shrieked. "We're getting married!" She held her left hand up to display the engagement ring and prove her point.

"We _are_ sleeping together," Scorpius clarified to Albus in a low voice.

Albus looked at him with deep disgust. "I _know_ ," he said through gritted teeth. "I've heard you!"

Scorpius looked surprised, whilst Rose was mortified once more. "I – it's –"

"Why do you think Taylor and I had to spend so much time together?" Albus asked coolly. "It is _horrifying_ having to share a roof with you guys when you're –"

"Stop it!" Rose shrieked, certain her face couldn't be redder. Scorpius was struggling not to laugh, clearly finding it all hilarious, but knowing that Rose would be mad at him. "It's not the same," she dismissed. "Unless you're actually telling me you and Taylor are, I don't know, going to _date_ in the future or –"

"Absolutely not," Albus scoffed.

It was killing Rose not knowing even the slightest bit of detail about the unexpected pair and their situation. But she could tell it was clearly more complex than she'd be satisfied with learning of on the night before her wedding. She wondered if Gwen and Janey knew anything more, but she had a feeling it would all come as just as big a shock as it had done to Rose.

"Fine, okay, whatever," Rose said with authority, ending the conversation. She was still mortified by Albus' earlier comment, and wished to escape the conversation. "Just… don't sleep with her tonight," she said in a threatening voice.

Albus just rolled his eyes.

As Rose and Scorpius once more departed their company, Rose couldn't help but think there couldn't be much more that could possibly go wrong that evening. Surely there could be no more surprises? Somebody was already going to die tomorrow…

"This is a nightmare," she groaned, leaning into Scorpius again, as they left Albus stranded at the bar.

"It's a _bit_ weird," Scorpius admitted, "but I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. Whatever's going on between Albus and Taylor can't be that big a deal."

"Not that. Just, the whole weekend in general," Rose sighed. "Everything's going wrong – everything you promised me wouldn't happen!"

"Rose, believe me, I never could have anticipated anything on that list would happen. You must have incredible foresight – are you sure you don't share Lily's gift?"

Scorpius was trying to be comical, but Rose was far too stressed to laugh. "And the worst hasn't even happened yet," she said sadly. "Why our wedding?" she demanded, suddenly angry. "Why _our_ wedding?"

"Hey, hey, hey," Scorpius said gently, giving her hand a squeeze. He could tell that Rose was getting worked up again. "Come with me."

Rose didn't ask where to, but was quietly surprised when Scorpius led her out of the ballroom and into the hotel's corridors, clearly headed for the rooms. Rose and Scorpius would not be sharing a room that evening, so as not to see each other before their wedding the following day. Rose would be sleeping in the bridal suite, with Scorpius in one of the smaller rooms, they'd share the bridal suite for their wedding night (but of course), and then the following morning they'd leave for a well-deserved two-week honeymoon.

The room which Scorpius led Rose to was her own room for the night – the bridal suite.

Neither said anything as Scorpius used the key card to open the door, calmly led Rose inside, closed the door, made her perch on the end of the bed, went to the dresser, poured out two small glasses of what Rose thought was scotch, handed one to her, sat on the edge of the bed next to her, drained his glass, and encouraged her to do the same.

Rose was a little tentative, wondering exactly what was going through Scorpius' mind, but drained the glass nonetheless. The alcohol burned through her body, oddly calming. Still calm, and still silent, Scorpius took the glass from her once she was finished and then, taking her by pleasant surprise, kissed her.

Rose melted into the kiss. With Scorpius holding both the glasses in his hands, they were connected by only their lips, but it was tender and strong and beautiful, all at the same time. Rose felt her troubles disappear momentarily. There was no one around; no stress or problems to worry about; nobody to please or keep happy. It was just her and Scorpius, in a beautiful stolen moment. She could taste, very faintly, the alcohol he had just consumed. Or maybe it was her own.

When it was over, Rose felt oddly calmed. She did not think she had properly kissed Scorpius since making up after their fight the previous weekend. And she did not think, during that whole time (and maybe long before it), she had ever felt so calm.

"We are getting married tomorrow," Scorpius said in a composed, low voice, speaking assuredly but lovingly. "Because we love each other, and we want to celebrate that love. You are going to wear a white dress and walk down an aisle, I am probably going to be so speechless that I'll make a mess of the vows –"

Rose couldn't help but smile.

"– we'll exchange rings and sign a bit of paper, and then we're going to start the rest of our life together as Mr and Mrs Malfoy. Or Mrs Weasley, if you wish," Scorpius considered. "Or whatever the hell you want to call yourself. And that is all, Rose. That is all you have to worry about tomorrow."

Rose was still smiling, charmed and surprised. "But –"

" _That is all you have to worry about_ ," Scorpius repeated. "Or do you need more alcohol before you believe that?"

"Not alcohol," she said, still smiling, and leaning in close to him, longing to kiss him again.

"Tomorrow is about us, Rose," Scorpius said gently. "Okay? It's about us, and celebrating our love with each other and those that we love. The only person you need to please is yourself, and I want you to remember that."

"What about you?" she teased.

Scorpius grinned. "I've no doubt that you will," he said with a wink.

"This is why I love you," Rose said happily, rising from the bed. She took the glasses from Scorpius' hands and went to place them back on the dresser. Because he reminded her what it was all about. Scorpius was the love of her life, her soul mate, her best friend. He knew how to ground her, to bring her back to reality, and more than anything keep her sane.

He always talked of not being worthy of deserving her, but Rose was starting to think maybe it was she who didn't deserve him.

She _was_ nervous and stressed about the wedding, and all that would surround it, but she was also incredibly excited, and Scorpius had reminded her exactly why they were going through it all in the first place. For him she'd go through all hell, never questioning, never regretting.

"I want to show you something," Rose announced eagerly, making sure the door was securely locked.

She returned to stand at the foot of the bed, where Scorpius was still sat, redoing a button that had come loose on his sleeve cuff. Before he could ask what it was, or even process what was happening, Rose was whipping off her shirt.

"I certainly like where this is going," Scorpius said flirtatiously, as Rose began fiddling with the clasp of her bra.

She rolled her eyes. "It's not what you think."

Scorpius had the most idiotically happy grin on his face as Rose removed her bra, standing in front of him, completely topless.

But true to her word, it was _not_ what was clearly on his mind.

Rose covered her chest with her arm to regain her modesty (and stop Scorpius ogling), and angled her back towards him. Or, more particularly, the right side of her torso, just about on the lower part of her ribcage.

Unbeknownst to anybody other than herself, and now Scorpius, Rose had taken a secret trip to the tattoo parlour a few days before they'd left for the hotel. She'd never thought it within herself to get a tattoo – she just wasn't that sort or girl, and she knew her mother would be hugely disappointed – but she had been inspired by Scorpius' own permanent mark of their love.

After an awful misunderstanding, in which a fifteen-year-old Scorpius had inadvertently gotten a replica of the Dark Mark branded on his arm (and nearly gone to Azkaban as a result of it), he'd been inspired to have a more positive symbol permanently inked onto his skin.

After having the replica Mark removed from his arm, he'd instead gotten a colourful image of an entwined rose and a scorpion emblazoned on his left shoulder blade, to symbolise the love between he and Rose.

Thank goodness things had worked out between them…

Rose's tattoo was more simplistic than his. It was an arranged cluster of what appeared to be black dots, all connected with little dashed lines. It looked beautiful against the paleness of her skin.

"Woah," Scorpius breathed, deeply impressed, and completely in awe.

"It's the constellation of Scorpius," Rose explained, looking thrilled by his response. She glanced down at her body proudly. "I wanted to get a mark like you did – to honour you, and symbolise our love."

Scorpius was entranced, and reached out a hand to gently touch the tattoo. Rose didn't flinch.

"It's a secret though – you're the only one who knows. If either my mum or my dad found out then, well…" She laughed uneasily.

"Didn't it hurt, on your ribcage?" Scorpius asked, still delicately admiring the marking.

"A little," Rose confessed, "but it was worth it. And besides, I wanted to get it in a place where it wouldn't normally be visible." She blushed slightly. "You're the only one who will ever see it, with it being there."

Scorpius removed his hand, and looked back at Rose's face, grinning endearingly. "Well, I think it's beautiful. You never cease to surprise me, Rose Weasley; I feel honoured."

"That I got a tattoo to honour you, or that nobody else will ever see my chest?" Rose teased, reaching for her clothes again.

Scorpius watched her with a wicked grin. "Any more tattoos I need to see?" he asked. "Do you need to take your skirt off too?"

"Absolutely not."

"Do you want to anyway? I mean, you've taken half your clothes off already; you might as well see it through."

Rose was already redoing her bra up. "In your dreams," she scoffed.

Scorpius made a point of stretching out on the bed. "We have some time…"

"No," Rose smirked, pulling her shirt back over her head, "we don't." She pulled her plait free from where it had gotten caught in the collar of her top, and smoothed her clothes. "We need to get back downstairs or everyone will think we've eloped!"

Scorpius heaved himself off of the bed, and came towards her, still wearing that devilish grin. Rose let him put his hands on her hips whilst she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, unable to stop herself from returning his flirtatious smile.

"You know, this could very well be the last time we get a chance before we're officially married," Scorpius said suggestively.

Rose raised her eyebrows. "Is that so?" she purred.

Scorpius kissed her then, keeping his hands firmly on her hips. Rose allowed him to for a while, letting herself enjoy a moment of blissful relief amongst the chaos that evening had been. Just as Scorpius was starting to get more urgent, and Rose felt his hands creeping upwards, she broke the kiss, holding his head firmly, and still grinning wickedly.

"It's still a 'no,'" she informed him in a low, teasing voice.

Scorpius looked bewildered, as he watched Rose pull away from him and make her way over to the door. "Rose Weasley, you absolute tease!"

"Scorpius, we'll be on our honeymoon in forty-eight hours," Rose reminded him, leaning against the door. "I'll be all yours then."

"But –"

Rose snorted at his innocent, bemused look. "Get your arse downstairs, Malfoy!"

* * *

The rest of the evening was significantly less stressful. Maybe that was because there was nothing more to take her by surprise, or maybe it was because of Rose's new positive attitude. She and Scorpius mingled with the rest of their guests, sometimes together, sometimes apart, greeting new arrivals, accepting gifts and offers of congratulations, and generally having an enjoyable time.

But night was beckoning, and both of them needed to be well-slept. Rose and Scorpius were returning to the ballroom in order to wish everyone a good night, having had to double-check something at the hotel's reception. They were both surprised to round the corner into one of the corridors, and find it occupied by their parents.

Well, their dads, at least – Hermione wasn't there. Draco and Ron weren't alone though, as Harry was with them too. Rose had barely spoken to her parents or aunts and uncles that evening.

"Everything alright?" Scorpius asked uncertainly.

"We're going to bed," Draco informed his son with great enthusiasm.

"Together?" Scorpius asked just as uncertainly, glancing at Ron and Harry.

"NO," Ron yelled, bizarrely loud.

It was only when the two men dissolved into fits of giggles that Rose realised they too had clearly enjoyed the open bar. "Where is Mum?" she asked, hoping to get some sense from her father.

Ron and Draco were still hunched over with laughter like childhood best friends. Oh, the irony…

"I think she went to the bathroom actually," Harry informed his niece. At least he was sober, Rose recognised.

As something made a noise from by their feet, Rose looked down in horror, only just realising there was someone on the floor. "What –"

"Your, err, your Aunt Ginny enjoyed the free drinks," Harry explained, looking greatly embarrassed.

Ginny Potter was sprawled on the floor, just about clinging to her consciousness. Rose hadn't seen anybody that drunk since her hen do, and certainly not Ginny!

"Alright," Rose said in amusement. "Well, good luck with that."

Harry gave her an apologetic look. "She'll be fine by the wedding," he promised. "No matter how many pills it takes…"

Ron suddenly stopped, in complete horror. A look of confusion and fury had overcome him, as he looked at his best friend with absolute disdain.

Harry, who had been trying to pick Ginny up off the floor by her arm, despite her reluctance to cooperate, noticed Ron's expression and stopped, almost with amusement. "Something wrong?" he asked.

Ron just continued to stare, his brow deeply furrowed, and his mouth open in shocked accusation. It was like he was only just noticing Harry and Ginny's interaction for the first time in his life. "That's my _sister_ ," he breathed dangerously.

Even Draco, who seemed to have sobered up with the change in atmosphere, looked confused. He and Harry shared bewildered looks.

"Err, yeah," Harry said slowly, Ginny's arm still hanging limply in his hand as she sprawled out on the floor, refusing to get up.

"That's _my_ sister," Ron growled, glaring at Harry.

Just as Draco and Harry had, Rose and Scorpius shared a confused look. Rose gave him a shrug as if to say 'I don't know.' And it was true – she had no idea what her father was talking about.

Harry, looking at Ron warily, still deeply confused by his hostile attitude, managed to hook his arms around Ginny's waist and pull her to her feet. She hung forwards at first, like a rag doll, as he struggled with her weight, but then lolled back against him, laughing gently under her breath.

"Okay," he breathed to her soothingly, like she was a small child and not a fully grown woman. "Time for bed…"

This seemed to further ignite Ron's fury. "That's my sister!" he said for the third time that evening.

Rose was starting to feel embarrassed. She wished Hermione was there to do something about it.

"Yeah," Harry said with great amusement, "and she's roaring drunk, so I'm going to –"

"You're supposed to be my best friend," Ron accused, looking no less than hurt. "And yet you're – you're messing around with my sister. My _sister!"_

Ginny, still completely out of it, was talking to herself, and lolling her head around, not making it any easier for Harry to try and support her.

"I'm not messing around with her," Harry denied, completely bemused, "I'm just putting her to bed."

"Like hell, you are!"

"Daddy," Rose cut in, "what the hell are you talking about?"

Ron ignored her, focusing all his concentrated anger on Harry, his brother-in-law. "Harry!" he yelled, "you're my best friend – this is my _sister!"_

"I know, Ron – you keep telling me! And" – Harry groaned, as he tried to manoeuvre Ginny down the corridor – "I've known you for long enough to figure that out by now. But thanks," he said cheerily, humouring the drunk man, "for the reminder."

Ron had pulled his wand out, aiming it straight at Harry with a murderous expression on his face. Harry stopped in his tracks, eyes widening. "Ron, what are you doing?"

"You can't take advantage of my sister!" he declared. "You can't – you can't _mess_ around with her. That's against the rules – we're _friends._ You can't put your hands on her! _"_

"Oh my god," Rose murmured to herself, letting her head fall forwards into her hands. Not that she'd even known him back then, of course, but Rose suddenly felt like she was seeing Ron as a seventeen-year-old – the angry overprotective brother of the girl his best friend was besotted with.

Harry was still looking bewildered, as though only just realising Ron, even though he was completely drunk, was not joking as he might have thought, but was being deadly serious. "Ron," he said incredulously, letting Ginny loll forwards in his arms again, "Ginny and I have been married for years!"

Ron's eyes widened, like this was the first time he was hearing such news. " _What?"_

"But you were – you were the best man at our wedding!" Harry stuttered.

Ron lowered his wand, now looking innocently confused. "I was?"

"Well, _yeah._ "

The redheaded man nodded along slowly, like he was now remembering it all. "Ah," he said, pocketing his wand, "okay then."

Harry looked at Rose, Scorpius, and Draco in turn, still as alarmed as before. They each just shrugged at him.

"Okay," Harry said slowly, looking warily at Ron again, "I, err, I'm gonna take Ginny to our room and put her to bed. If that's alright?"

Ron looked thoughtful, and nodded.

Keeping his eyes fixed on Ron with caution, just in case he suddenly got hostile again, Harry slowly began to walk Ginny backwards down the corridor, holding her firmly around her waist. It was more of a drag, than a walk, as she still refused to cooperate.

But suddenly, she perked back up, a thrilled look of wicked delight adorning her face. "Yeah!" she yelled enthusiastically to the corridor of people, her words slightly slurred. "And we're gonna have s–"

"No, nope!" Harry cut across, clasping a firm hand over Ginny's mouth, flashing a nervous glance at Ron. "I can guarantee you we're most definitely not," he assured the startled corridor dwellers, whilst Ginny laughed and tried to undo his shirt.

Harry, giving up with trying to drag Ginny to their room, lifted her up into his arms, like a groom carrying his bride over the threshold. "Oh, hi, kids."

James, Albus, and Lily were all stood at the end of the corridor, having clearly just stumbled upon the scene, and were now all frozen, horrified and disturbed by their drunken mother.

"Goodnight all," Harry called cheerfully, carrying Ginny down the corridor, past their children, whilst she sang enthusiastically. "See you tomorrow morning."

The seven of them didn't move for a while, until Scorpius took hold of Rose's hand and said awkwardly, "Well, that was, err, _interesting."_

Ron seemed to snap out of his bewildered daze, and noticed the clasped hands of Rose and Scorpius. He looked up at his future son-in-law, glaring, as though he was only just noticing him for the first time. "Scorpius," he breathed in accusation, "that's my _daughter!"_

"Okay, time to go," Rose announced, steering Scorpius away before anything more could happen. "See you tomorrow, Daddy!"

When Rose and Scorpius returned to the bar, she was furious to find her cousins all involved in some kind of a drinking game. "Cut it out!" she roared, seeming excessively aggravated.

"What?" Roxanne asked innocently, placing the shot glass she'd about to drink from back down on the bar.

"No more drinks," Rose declared, "for anybody!"

"Rose," Scorpius said, looking embarrassed on behalf of everybody there.

"No, I'm being deadly serious," Rose fumed. "This is a wedding – _our_ wedding – not some cheap, trashy party! I want to make memories," she cried. "I want people to remember it – not get outrageously drunk and – and – and ruin it!"

"Rose, none of us are drunk," Dominique pointed out, looking embarrassed by her cousin's outburst. "And no one's going to ruin your wedding…"

Rose forced herself to calm down, knowing she was getting overly worked up over nothing again. "No, you're right," she said, trying to channel that state of calm Scorpius had managed to evoke in her earlier. "Sorry."

"Why don't we just all go to bed?" Scorpius suggested. "Tomorrow evening's when the real celebrations will be happening, and we could all do with getting a good night's sleep."

Everybody eventually agreed with Scorpius' suggestion, some more reluctantly than others.

"Thank you," Rose murmured, wrapping her arms around Scorpius and leaning into his chest.

"Come on," he said gently, "I'll walk you to your room."

" _Our_ room tomorrow night," she said suggestively.

"Don't tease me," he murmured, grinning at the thought.

Rose was saddened when they reached the door to the bridal suite. She felt safe in Scorpius' arms, and knew she'd be craving his warmth that night. Still, she thought excitedly, never again would she share an empty bed after that night.

The thought both scared and excited her. "This time tomorrow night we'll be married," she said breathlessly.

 _We can only hope_ , Scorpius almost said, before strongly rethinking it. "Sure will," he replied instead, beaming down at her as he leant against the wall.

The low light made Scorpius' eyes gleam rather noticeably through the darkness. Rose knew she would dream about them. The next time she'd see those eyes they'd be watching her as she walked down the aisle.

"Next time I'll see you will be at the altar," Rose voiced fondly. "Now, if you're considering it, would be the time to run."

"I'm not going anywhere," Scorpius said, firmly but tenderly.

"Yeah?" Rose asked, leaning in to him once more. "I don't think the hotel manager will like it if you stay here all night."

Scorpius snorted. "You know that's not what I meant."

Rose had gotten so close to Scorpius that it didn't take much effort to kiss him. It was soft and sweet, and they were both thinking of how it would be their last kiss before they would be officially wed.

"Sweet dreams," Scorpius murmured, not entirely sure he'd be able to walk away from her that night.

"You too," Rose murmured. She saved him the trouble by being the first to leave, one last tender look before she closed the door, separating them until the ceremony.

Unbeknownst to either of them, they both stayed on either side of the door, backs pressed up against each other, deep in thought.

Both of them were hoping, despite what was destined to happen, that tomorrow would be the happiest day of their life.


	9. The Promise

_**Author's Note:** I'm as terrible at keeping promises as Scorpius is. I know this chapter was seriously delayed, but it's pretty lengthy so I hope that makes up for it ;) I won't even try and make promises about when the final chapter will be uploaded, because I think it's been made pretty clear that I'll fail to keep to that. Just be on the look out over this week. I might give you a Christmas present of sorts to make up for it ;)_

* * *

 **Chapter 9 – The Promise**

The sun shone down over the hotel on the second day of August, like a happy blessing on the couple, as if marking the start of a truly beautiful day. Rose and Scorpius, in separate beds, in separate rooms, in separate corridors, both awoke at almost the exact same time.

It was the chink in the curtains, casting a direct line of sunlight onto Rose's face, that made her awake. She rolled over in the centre of the vast bed, lost in a sea of covers, and ran a weary hand over her half-open eyes. A second passed; her eyes opened fully; Rose shot up into a sitting position with the speed of a bullet, fully awake.

"I'M GETTING MARRIED TODAY!" she shrieked to absolutely no one (though the whole hotel had probably heard her), exhilaration pumping through her body. Rose clambered out of her bed, flinging the covers aside, and scrambled for the door, not even sparing a thought to her mussed-up appearance.

Scorpius too had been awoken by the sunlight, but not a gentle chink like Rose. He was cast into a blinding spotlight as someone threw wide the curtains of his room. Scorpius groaned in protest at the abrupt awakening, squinting through the dizzying light to try and identify the perpetrator.

"Morning, sunshine," James Potter said brightly. "You're getting married today by the way."

"James," Scorpius said with great distaste, rubbing his eyes with one hand. He suddenly clutched the covers to his chest, like a girl protecting her modesty. "How did you get in my room?" he asked shrilly.

James turned away from where he'd been admiring the sunlit view out the window, and looked at Scorpius. "I'm a wizard, idiot. I used a little thing called 'magic.' You ever heard of it?"

The fact that the hotel key cards were basically made redundant in the present company made Scorpius feel suddenly uncomfortable. And stupid for not having realised before…

"You don't sleep naked, do you?" James asked casually, as he approached the bed.

Scorpius regarded him with horror. "No."

"Really?" James asked in surprise. "I do. But anyway, that's good."

"What – why?" Scorpius asked, still in complete horror as James got closer and closer.

"Because I don't want to see ungodly things when I do _this,_ " James explained, whipping the entire duvet set off of the bed with a flourish on the last word.

Scorpius might not have been naked, but he was clad only in his boxers, and did not feel particularly comfortable that more than half of his naked body was now exposed to James. After the Ron incident, Scorpius wasn't greatly comfortable with any nudity at his own expense, in front of any member of the Potter-Weasley family who wasn't Rose. He glared at his future cousin-in-law.

"Put some more clothes on before the ceremony," James advised. "Or don't. I mean, it will save you the trouble of getting undressed later." As James winked at Scorpius, the blonde boy wondered if there was ever anything other than sexual intercourse on his mind.

Before Scorpius could respond, there was a diminished sort of shout that seemed to come from the corridor above them. "Did that – was that – was that Rose?" Scorpius asked worriedly. The day had barely begun – what could possibly be going wrong already?

James frowned. "Err… it could be out of excitement?" he suggested.

Upstairs, Rose had made her way into the corridor and was running up and down it, excitedly shrieking, "I'M GETTING MARRIED TODAY! IT'S TODAY, IT'S TODAY – I'M GETTING MARRIED _TODAY!"_

Janey was the first to burst from her room, Sam emerging behind her in a dressing gown, looking panicked. Rose stopped when she saw the couple, her eyes immediately drawn to the glistening engagement ring.

"What the _hell_ are you doing?" Janey growled. Rose had shared a room with Janey for seven whole years; she really should have known the girl was fiercely adverse to such abrupt awakenings.

"I'm, err… I'm getting married today," Rose said with a weak smile.

"Do you really have to _shout_ about it?"

Other people had started to emerge into the corridor too, rubbing their sleep-strained eyes and glaring at Rose. Ebony was the only one who looked vaguely cheery. Unlike everybody else, she was already up and dressed.

"Get back in your room," she jokingly ordered Rose. "Do you really want to run the risk of Scorpius coming across you before the wedding?"

"No," Rose breathed in a panic. Not that she was superstitious, of course (she was only now more slightly tolerant of Divination for Lily's sake), and didn't strictly believe in the theory that it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding, but on that day of all days, she was _not_ taking that risk. "Have you seen him?" she asked Ebony excitedly (and a little nervously).

"No," Ebony said, "but James is with him."

 _Well,_ Rose thought, _he was still in the hotel – that was a good start._

"Come on," Ebony insisted, gently ushering Rose back into the bridal suite, "let's get this thing started."

* * *

Janey was a lot cheerier once she'd had her morning coffee, and the other bridesmaids soon warmed to Rose after her early-morning wakeup-call. It was her big day, after all – they couldn't take that away from her. (And it would all be over soon, thank Merlin). The sun still shining, and exhilaration still pumping through her body as the hours ticked down, Rose was in full-prep mood alongside her four bridesmaids, all of them having set up their prep-station in the bridal suite.

"I look amazing in this dress," Janey said, admiring herself from all angles in the full-length mirror. She did, of course, but Rose didn't want to boost her ego.

"Like a supermodel," Taylor said sarcastically, wrinkling her nose at her own frumpy appearance.

"You _all_ look incredible," Rose insisted kindly. She wasn't wearing her dress yet, but was sat on a chair in the centre of the room, still dressed in her pyjamas, as Gwen tackled her hair from behind. It was times like this when they greatly appreciated their magical ability. Rose had a _lot_ of hair.

"I'm so jealous," Ebony announced sulkily, taking them all by surprise. She was slumped forward in a chair by the window, looking at Rose enviously.

"Do you want me to do your hair too?" Gwen asked in confusion. Ebony's hair already looked perfect.

"No," the Maid of Honour sighed, "I mean – the wedding and everything. I wish _I_ was getting married."

Rose, Gwen, Taylor, and Janey all stopped what they were doing to stare at Ebony in disbelief.

"Eb," Rose said slowly, feeling like she was missing something, "you _are_ married. You know that, right? I mean, are you aware that you've already _had_ a wedding?"

"Oh, I know, but not like _this_ ," Ebony explained, gesturing to the grandeur of the scene. "There were three people at my wedding," she said drily. "Me, James, and the priest. Nobody walked me down the aisle, nobody watched me get married – none of my friends or family. I didn't have any bridesmaids. We didn't even have a honeymoon. Heck, we didn't even have an engagement! James never _actually_ proposed to me."

Rose had watched James and Ebony get married – not in real life, but James had allowed her to watch it through the Pensieve four days later. It had been a beautiful and intimate ceremony, deeply romantic.

"Don't get me wrong," Ebony said quickly, "I _loved_ our wedding – I loved everything about it all – I just think it would have been nice to have a big ceremony like this though." She glanced longingly at Rose, who was still in the process of being pampered by Gwen.

"Oh, I don't know," Rose sighed, "the more I think about it, the more I think it _might_ have been better if we'd eloped. I know Scorpius would much prefer it."

"Well, it's too late for that," Taylor snapped.

Rose wondered why Taylor was being so bitter. Was she just jealous of the bride? Rose knew she'd be incredibly jealous if she was acting as a bridesmaid to one of the other Gryffin-Girls – she felt fortunate she'd been the first of them to get married. Or perhaps it was because, now that Janey and Rose had gained the esteemed title of 'fiancée,' she was craving even the simplest form of romance in her life.

Rose thought of Albus and felt uncomfortable.

She was still dying to know what had gone on between them. Had it been because of Rose and Scorpius that Albus and Taylor had fallen into each other's arms? And into each other's beds…

Was it because the foursome had spent so much time together, hanging out at each other's apartments, and due to the nature or Rose and Scorpius' romantic relationship, they'd sort of been… _pushed_ together?

"Yeah," Janey said in a quiet voice, staring forlornly at herself in the mirror, "it's too late for you…" Her hand subconsciously went to touch the engagement ring on her finger. It hadn't even sat there for a whole week yet.

Ebony watched the movement, her expression that of confusion and suspicion. Rose remembered that she didn't know of Janey and Sam's unexpected engagement yet. Partially because she didn't want to put Janey under pressure, and partially because she wanted the attention to be on her wedding for the whole day, Rose said, "Ebony!"

The girl looked at her sharply.

"Could you, err, get my shoes for me, please?"

"You're not even wearing your dress yet," Ebony answered in confusion.

"Yeah, but… I just want to look at them," Rose said, feeling stupid.

"Forget that, I've got something better." Ebony rose from her chair, the midnight blue satin of her bridesmaid dress falling down her body like trickling water. She went over to retrieve something from the dresser, or rather, a collection of things. "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue," she recited with a grin.

"I'd forgotten about that tradition," Rose mumbled in excitement, wondering what Ebony had arranged.

"Something old," Ebony announced, holding up the veil Rose would be wearing later. "The veil your mum wore for her wedding – which I guess, technically, is borrowed too, but it's at least forty years' old so it definitely fits the 'something old.'"

Rose had not wanted to wear Hermione's veil initially, simply because she'd wanted to go through the thrill of buying her own wedding attire. That was, until she had actually seen the veil, and then learned Hermione's mother (Rose's grandmother) had worn it to her wedding too, before passing it down to her daughter.

It was a beautiful veil, long and netted, with scalloped edges and hand-embroidered flower patterns trailing down the edges. The sentimental value of it had made it even more treasured by Rose, and she wanted nothing more than to be able to pass it down to her daughter too.

"Something new," Ebony went on. "Well, the dress, the shoes, the lingerie," she said with a wink.

Rose rolled her eyes.

"Everything, really. And the same for your 'something blue.' _Everything's_ blue – it's your colour scheme, after all – the decorations, the bouquet, the hair piece."

Rose credited Scorpius for that.

"Now, something borrowed," Ebony announced, a smile stretching from ear to ear. She was holding something in her hand, small, ornamental, elasticated, stretching it gently as she approached the bride.

Frilly and lacy, Rose wasn't entirely sure what it was – a hair accessory or a choker of some sort?

Realisation filled her body. A _garter._

"You didn't get one for yourself, and you _need_ a garter, Rose," Ebony informed her. "Half the fun's having it removed," she said with another wink.

Rose took the garter a little hesitantly. She had, after all, witnessed her own cousin remove that very accessory from around Ebony's thigh with his teeth, having watched (not that she'd wanted to!) via Pensieve memory. The thought of wearing it, knowing its history, and knowing that Scorpius might very well repeat such an action, made her feel a little uncomfortable.

But she admired the gesture, and was thankful to Ebony for having given it to her.

"Borrowed," Ebony clarified. "I might want it back at some point."

"Even after knowing where it's been?" Rose teased.

"Okay, this talk is getting weird and gross," Taylor interrupted, still looking bitter.

"Right, yeah," Rose mumbled in apology. She turned back to her Maid of Honour with a sincere smile. "Thank you, Ebony."

"Just trying to do everything _I_ can do to make this wedding a success," Ebony said humbly.

Something tightened in Rose's stomach. She could not pretend her list of worst-case-scenarios was not still at the forefront of her mind. It wasn't like the build-up to their wedding had gone particularly smoothly. In fact, so many of the overdramatic scenarios had already played out…

 _You might get cold feet the night before and leave me stranded at the altar._

"Can someone please go and check on Scorpius?" Rose asked shrilly.

"Why, Rose, is everything alright?" Ebony asked, sharing a nervous look with Gwen.

"I just… I need to know he's –" _still here_ "– alright," Rose said weakly. "That he's, err, got everything he needs."

"Rose, James was with him, and probably the other boys too, and –"

" _Please?"_ Rose interrupted desperately. What would be the point of getting worked up about the rest of the wedding if the groom wasn't even there?

"I – sure, fine," Ebony conceded, defeated.

"I'll go with you," Gwen offered.

As the two departed, the knot in Rose's stomach didn't loosen. If anything, it further tightened.

 _Jinx and Albireo could argue and cause a scene._

Well, that was almost a given. But there wasn't anything more Rose could really do. She could only hope they'd have the sense and the respect to keep it civil for the day.

 _Sam and Janey could argue and cause a scene._

Rose glanced to Janey, still admiring herself in the mirror. Her eyes lingered on the glistening engagement ring. _Unlikely,_ Rose thought, still not feeling completely at ease about this huge new revelation.

 _Someone could announce their divorce._

Rose didn't want to jinx anything, but she was almost certain that _that_ , at least, wouldn't be occurring.

 _Someone could announce their engagement._

Janey flicked her fringe out of her eyes and made some kind of bizarre kissy face at her reflection. Rose watched as her earrings caught the light in the same way that the ring did.

 _Someone could announce they're pregnant._

Rose vowed to get some kind of gift for Bobbin and Roberts. What did you buy for expectant parents? Maybe she could ask Teddy and Victoire.

 _James could get outrageously drunk and cause a scene._

Rose was actually pleasantly surprised that, of all last night's drunken antics, James had not been one of the perpetrators. In fact, she didn't think he'd touched a single drop of alcohol. _Strange behaviour indeed_ , she mused. In fact, it had been her Aunt Ginny who had been the worst…

 _Janey/Gwen/Taylor could draw a lot of unwanted attention due to their success._

Rose dismissed this worry like she had done the divorce. Yes, Janey, Gwen, and Taylor had managed to make a name for themselves in their respective fields of work, but Rose had quite been forgetting the context of her wedding. Everybody in attendance already knew the trio, often from their school days. No amount of success could really change your outlook on the four girls known as 'the Gryffin-Girls.'

 _Our dads could argue and protest against the marriage._

Well, Rose had never expected Draco Malfoy to do such a thing, but as for her dad…

 _No_ , she thought fiercely. Ron never would have let it get this far if he still held grudges against the Malfoy family. He _liked_ Scorpius, Rose reminded herself. Ron had given Scorpius permission to ask for Rose's hand, had agreed to walk her down the aisle and give her away, and though she'd never dared to ask, she was certain he'd played a part in encouraging Scorpius to re-propose to her after their temporary split.

 _It could turn out we're related somehow._

Rose had done extensive research into their family trees, and whilst they _were_ distantly related (through the Black family, of course), it wasn't nearly enough to compromise their nuptials.

 _Someone could announce their secret, undying love for me right before the vows._

Rose once more found her gaze lingering on Janey. She wasn't sure she had ever really believed anybody would do such a thing, but after the complications of her relationship with Scorpius at Hogwarts, it seemed more than likely. Lily, Ebony, Sam – all had played significant roles in compromising the relationship between Rose and Scorpius due to (often unreciprocated) romantic feelings.

With Ebony married, and Lily suitably moved-on in her life, Rose had never feared somebody would try and snatch Scorpius away from her again. Perhaps it was conceited that she therefore thought it would be _her_ who somebody would try and whisk away from Scorpius' clutches. But honestly? Even with the loosest, vaguest logic, she could only think of Sam.

She and Sam had shared a confusing relationship over their Hogwarts' years, with Sam supposedly in love with her, and Rose having confusing mixed emotions in response. But that was long in the past, Rose firmly reminded herself, unable to drag her eyes away from the new addition to Janey's ring finger.

 _Someone might try and assassinate Evangeline._

Well, Rose thought with a small smile, if they did then it wasn't going to be at Rose and Scorpius' wedding, as the young royal wouldn't be attending. Rose dropped her smile immediately. Someone trying to assassinate one of her closest friends was _not_ something to be smiling about.

It was a shame, she thought, suddenly sad, that Piper and Evangeline couldn't come to the wedding. Rose made a mental note to definitely try and arrange another group visit sometime after the honeymoon.

 _Your mother might protest the wedding._

The late Astoria Malfoy being the mother in question. Rose glanced around the room just in case Mrs Malfoy's spirit was lurking. The tormented woman had never approved of the relationship between Rose and her son, going to great lengths to keep them apart.

" _Stay away from my son"_ – Astoria's final words, spoken to Rose right before she sacrificed her own life, still haunted the younger woman. There had always been a sense of guilt that hung around Rose when she thought of Scorpius' mother. She had spared barely a second thought to the dying woman's wishes.

Rose's eye flickered towards the pristine white dress that hung on the back of the door to the en suite. In around an hour she'd be making a vow which would ensure she couldn't be _closer_ to Scorpius – legally, physically, soulfully.

"Do you want to put it on now?" Taylor piped up, misunderstanding Rose's longing stare.

"I, umm, no," Rose mumbled, looking away from the wedding dress. "I was just… thinking."

Taylor looked suspicious. "Okay." But she didn't push it further.

 _Our families, in general, could argue._

Well, without Astoria that seemed highly unlikely. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and in fact all of the Potter-Weasleys had made their peace with Draco Malfoy, and were all completely accepting of Scorpius. The only _slight_ point of tension would have been between Arthur Weasley and Lucius Malfoy, but the latter had made no RSVP.

Rose felt slightly saddened for Scorpius – the only family members of his who were coming to the wedding were his father and his sister. Compared to the multitude of Weasleys that would be in attendance for Rose, it felt a little disparaging. But she couldn't pretend that she wasn't somewhat relieved that there wouldn't be more Malfoys there – Lucius and Narcissa in particular.

Rose hadn't really met Scorpius' grandparents on his father's side, but she knew that, whilst Narcissa was tolerant and perhaps even accepting of the relationship, Lucius was decidedly not. They really didn't need that kind of conflict at the wedding.

 _Someone unexpected could hook up and cause a huge scandal that upstages us._

This time it was to Taylor that Rose's eyes flickered. She looked away, trying not to think of Albus.

Having Albus and Taylor spend a night together ( _another_ night together, apparently!?) would be a blessing when she thought of her final point. In fact, perhaps other than the first one (and Evangeline's assassination), Rose would happily experience every single one of her worst-case-scenarios on what would surely be a disastrous wedding day, if only to ensure the last one never happened. Her body was flushed with an icy coldness. Fate was set in stone.

 _Somebody could die._

Gwen and Ebony bustled back into the room before Rose could let her anxiety about the impending death of one of her wedding guests build up inside her too much.

"Well?" she demanded, a little too frantically.

"He's fine, Rose," Ebony insisted calmly. "I mean, we thought we'd lost the corsage, and it turns out none of those idiots really know how to properly tie a bowtie, but that's all."

"Was he… nervous?" Rose asked, her mouth feeling unnaturally dry. _Did he seem like he was going to make a hasty getaway?_

"Not at all," Ebony answered, as calm as before. "He seemed quite excited actually. It was very sweet."

But Rose was _not_ at ease. "Are you sure he's not having second thoughts?" she asked in a panic, as she sat down on the bed, trying to calm her shaking hands.

Gwen came to stand in front of her, adopting a caring, almost motherly tone. "Rose," she said awkwardly, "believe me, Scorpius is more than positive that he wants to go through with this. The only person who seems to be having second thoughts is, well, _you."_

As Gwen's words lingered, Rose's troubled mind began to play up. Was that really true? Was she _doubtful_ that she wanted to marry Scorpius? Was her heart not one hundred percent in it?

And if so, what kind of basis was that for a marriage? How could she possibly walk down the aisle to him in such a state?

She gulped. "But what about Astoria?"

Janey frowned. "Who?"

"Scorpius' mother," Rose replied weakly.

"Didn't she die, like, ages ago?"

Gwen and Taylor glared at Janey for being so insensitive, almost reminiscent of when they'd all been at Hogwarts together.

"Rose…" Gwen said carefully, turning back to the distressed girl, "what do you mean? What does Astoria have to do with any of this?"

Rose wasn't sure why exactly it had been Astoria's name that had left her lips. She began nervously wringing her hands, absentmindedly lingering on the slight protrusion of the engagement ring. Soon there would be a wedding band on that finger.

"She… she hated me," Rose said weakly. "She told me to stay away from Scorpius and now we're… we're getting _married._ I couldn't possibly dishonour her more than I'm about to! I could literally set her grave on fire and it would be less disrespectful!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Rose," Janey snapped before the others could offer a more sympathetic assurance. "Astoria Malfoy was a stone cold bitch who tried to _kill_ pretty much all of us."

"It was just Evangeline," Rose mumbled, unsure as to why she was defending such a vicious woman.

"She put all of our lives in danger, Rose," Janey went on unforgivingly. "You have absolutely no reason to respect her dying wishes. You _know_ she only said that before she killed herself to try and manipulate you."

That may very well have been true, but it had _worked._ Astoria had never tried to earn Rose's respect, and maybe the girl didn't owe her anything, but it still haunted her. That guilt was inescapable.

"Rose," Gwen said in a much kinder, calmer voice than Janey had used, "are you sure this is really to do with Astoria?"

Rose's throat felt even drier. "What do you mean?"

"I mean" – she and Ebony shared an awkward glance – "have you considered the idea that maybe you're trying to, I don't know, _sabotage_ the wedding by using Astoria as a justification, because actually you're getting cold feet yourself?"

Rose felt her lip tremble. She wondered if this was something Gwen and Ebony had discussed, hence the knowing look of silent communication. "I… I…"

"Don't cry!" Janey yelped. "It will take _ages_ to redo your makeup."

"I don't know," Rose trembled, suddenly fearful that there was truth in their words. Had all of it – the list of worst-case-scenarios, the constant worry that Scorpius wasn't ready, the total _obsessiveness_ to try and make it all perfect – just been a way in which to mask the fact that _she_ wasn't ready?

If she hadn't already been sitting, Rose knew her knees would have given way. "I… I don't know," she repeated, barely more than a whisper.

The bridesmaids all looked panicked.

"We don't have time to stop the wedding," Taylor said in alarm to them all. "It's too late!"

"It's never too late," Ebony said firmly. "People would understand –"

"But what about Scorpius?" Janey demanded. "Would _he_ understand?"

Rose clambered to her feet in a fluster. "I'm not calling off the wedding!" she shrieked, consumed with horror by their hasty talk. "I… I couldn't," she said more calmly. She twisted the ring around on her finger. "I want to marry Scorpius. I'm _going_ to marry Scorpius. The wedding – we're so close now – we can get through it."

"It's not just the wedding though," Ebony said seriously. "Rose, it's a marriage too. You're going to be living with Scorpius after the honeymoon. You'll be with him _every day_. You'll never date again, never have another first kiss, never –"

"I don't want those things," Rose burst out. Nobody noticed how pale Janey had gone, now twisting _her_ engagement ring around her finger. "I'm not interested in first kisses and – and dating other people. I've _done_ all that –" she glared at them all in turn – "with Scorpius. And I wouldn't change a thing."

"But Astoria –"

" _Damn_ Astoria!" Rose growled, viciously cutting across Ebony, not realising how loudly she was yelling. "I am in love with Scorpius Malfoy and _nothing_ is going to change that! I don't _want_ to see other people or experience any of that 'fresh new romance' stuff. I want marriage, and taxes, and breakfast in bed, and dreaded family reunions with in-laws, and _children_ – and all that stupid 'adult' stuff that married people have to deal with! I don't care about the hardships of it all, or what other people might think. I want this for me. For _us._ I. Want. To. Marry. Scorpius!"

The fours bridesmaids (and probably everybody else in the hotel) were silenced. Rose's screeched words had left a haunting and tense hush hanging in the room. She herself was particularly flustered, the blood having rushed to the surface of her face, her eyes slightly wild and crazed.

Nobody said anything, all pale, all looking mortified.

And then a pleased smirk flickered onto Ebony's face. "Good," she said kindly. "Glad we cleared that up."

Rose floundered, eyes darting back and forth between the gently smiling faces of Ebony and Gwen, and the still slightly startled faces of Taylor and Janey. "What?" she asked breathlessly.

"Rose, you are more than ready to get married," Ebony insisted. "I don't think anybody could deny it after that. Do _you_ believe that now?"

Rose still felt like she was missing something. Gwen was struggling not to laugh. Rose looked at her, dazed and now suspicious. "Did you…?"

"Reverse psychology," Gwen snorted.

Rose wanted to be mad. Oh, how she wanted to be mad at Gwen and Ebony! But she felt a warm rush of relief at her outburst. She _did_ want to marry Scorpius, and for far more of a reason than just the grandeur of the wedding (which, as it was turning out, wasn't working out so spectacularly anyway).

"Taxes _and_ breakfast in bed," Janey said sarcastically. "Wow, Rose, you want it all, don't you?"

Rose closed her eyes, feeling a moment of blissful relief, and actually smiled. When she reopened them, they were all smiling at her. She focused on Ebony. "Is marriage hard?"

"Only if you're married to James," Ebony snorted in response. "I'm kidding," she said quickly when Rose looked briefly concerned. "Marriage is… a challenge," she explained truthfully. "And there will be times you wonder why you _ever_ thought it was a good idea. But then there are beautiful times – wonderful, happy, _magical_ times – and you realise that it doesn't matter. The good times will always outweigh the bad times. And if they ever don't, _that's_ when you need to be concerned. But if not –" Ebony offered a very genuine, very warm smile – "it's the most fulfilling experience in the world. Marrying James was the best decision I ever made. I've never looked back."

Rose was hanging on her every word. As was Janey (though nobody noticed).

"Look at us," Ebony teased. "If James and I can have a successful marriage then you and Scorpius _definitely_ can. You've got a huge history together – a really solid foundation, and a really beautiful commitment. You're ready," she insisted. "Both of you."

Rose felt, for the first time since Scorpius had asked her to marry him (the first time round), that she truly believed that. "Okay," she breathed out, running her now-steady hands through her hair. "Hand me the dress, Ebony. I'm getting married!"

* * *

" _Damn Astoria!"_ a muffled, but still piercing voice could be heard from somewhere in the room above. " _I am in love with Scorpius Malfoy and nothing is going to change that! I don't want to see other people or experience any of that 'fresh new romance' stuff. I want marriage, and taxes, and breakfast in bed, and dreaded family reunions with in-laws, and children – and all that stupid 'adult' stuff that married people have to deal with! I don't care about the hardships of it all, or what other people might think. I want this for me. For us. I. Want. To. Marry. Scorpius!"_

"Well, err, that's reassuring," Scorpius said with an awkward cough. The others in the room – James, Albus, Albireo, Sam, and Mason – looked mildly alarmed. Scorpius wondered whether Rose knew he was in the room directly below her…

"You have to marry _that_ ," Sam reminded him, still looking alarmed.

Scorpius was about to make some retort about how being married to Rose surely had to be a dream compared to being married to Janey – a fate Sam was bound to – but remembered that few people knew of Sam and Janey's engagement, and Rose would never forgive him for bringing it up right before their wedding.

"Less than an hour," James taunted. "You can still run," he advised with a wise smirk.

"Oh, why don't you two just go somewhere and make out?" Scorpius sighed, straightening his bowtie in the mirror.

Sam and James looked at each other in disgust, backing away from each other.

"We didn't!" Sam insisted, at the same time as James said, "That's _not_ true, and it's _not_ funny!"

Scorpius smirked himself, as the two boys fell silent. "I guess we'll never know what _really_ happened that night."

"Yeah," Albireo said uncomfortably, "and we'll never know why or how we ended up in that tattoo parlour…"

"It definitely wasn't _me_ who got inked," James said. "I checked everywhere, and believe me when I say _everywhere._ Ebony helped," he said smugly.

Scorpius rolled his eyes, whilst the other boys insisted they too were free of unexpected tattoos.

"I'm still convinced it's you," Albus said with a nod to Scorpius. "I mean, you _do_ have a history with tats – it seems like drunk you would think it was a good idea."

Scorpius frowned. Albus' logic made sense. Scorpius had gotten two tattoos at just fifteen – the unintentional Dark Mark he'd had removed from his forearm, and the entwined rose and scorpion on his shoulder, still as bright and colourful as they day he'd gotten it. Perhaps drunk him _would_ have thought it fun to get a tattoo on his stag do. But he too had thoroughly checked, and he was certain he wasn't the victim.

"Maybe nobody got a tattoo," Scorpius dismissed. "Maybe we ended up in the parlour by accident. Or maybe we were going to but then thought better of it."

James had lost interest in the tattoo talk, and was instead looking up at the ceiling where Rose's voice had been heard just moments before. "Man, I feel bad for whoever has to sleep in _this_ room tonight."

"Why?" Scorpius asked absentmindedly, still fiddling with his tie.

"Because it's directly beneath the bridal suite, idiot, and who _knows_ what kind of ungodly things one might hear with you and Rose –"

"Okay, okay," Scorpius cut across, rolling his eyes once more. " _Nobody's_ in this room anyway. This was my room, remember?"

"Good call," James said wisely.

There was a sharp knock on the door at that point, drawing the attention of them all. Mason, as he was closest, opened it. Scorpius was surprised, and then fearful, when Ron appeared in the doorway.

"Mr Weasley," he asked uncertainly, "is everything okay?"

"Is Mum sober?" James asked with a wickedly delighted look.

Ron ignored James, looking only at Scorpius, with a noticeably awkward demeanour about him. "Err, yeah," he said with an awkward cough. "I just, can I talk to you for a moment?" He gave a pointed look to the others in the room. "Alone."

"Of course," Scorpius said, trying to fake his casualness in a believable way. His insides had gone into a state of panic, but he refused to let that show to Ron. He glared at James until he got the message and left, the others following behind quickly.

Ron closed the door carefully, looking as though he really didn't want to be doing this, and was trying to delay the inevitable.

Scorpius had to confess, he'd completely forgotten that this would need to happen. He'd been so stressed out trying to juggle everything with the wedding, making sure it went smoothly, and trying to keep Rose calm and happy, that he hadn't realised, an hour until the wedding, he hadn't yet had the inevitably uncomfortable 'father-in-law' talk with Ron.

Oh Merlin, he wished he'd thought to open some more windows. It was hot on that August day.

"Scorpius," Ron announced seriously, turning back to face the man in question. Scorpius towered over Ron, but the elder man was far more intimidating.

Scorpius had had to face Ron on several uncomfortable occasions, but an hour before his wedding, he knew it would set his nerves on edge. "Sir," Scorpius began politely.

Ron looked agitated. "I told you before – don't call me 'Sir.'"

"Can I call you 'Dad'?" Scorpius asked, going for a light-hearted humorous approach to ease the tension of such a serious confrontation.

Ron's expression didn't change. "No."

Not for the first time in his life, Scorpius wondered what the odds were of the floor swallowing him up right there and then.

"Look, Scorpius –"

"Do we really have to have this chat?" Scorpius interrupted, sounding a little whiny.

"Yes," Ron said firmly. "In less than an hour you'll be marrying my daughter, and I'll be your father-in-law and –"

"And that will be one of the greatest honours, Mr Weasley."

"Scorpius, now is not the time to be kissing my arse."

Scorpius fell silent again. It seemed there would be no easy way to get out of it. He slipped his hands into his pockets, perhaps to hide how visibly they were shaking. "Like the time I called you a 'fruity little cocktail'?" he laughed uneasily.

Ron's expression remained stone cold. "Scorpius, I really think it would be best if you didn't say anything else."

Scorpius bit his lip and nodded.

"I like you," Ron said seriously. "Well, I mean, as much as a man _can_ like the boy his daughter is about to marry, and who he once found in his kitchen wearing nothing but underwear…"

Scorpius wanted to die, he wanted to die, he wanted to _die._

"I, err, I was having a –"

"A shower, yes, I know." Ron narrowed his eyes at him, and Scorpius couldn't be sure whether it was because he'd spoken up when Ron had asked him not to, or because of his pitiful and unbelievable excuse.

"Mine was broken."

"Indeed," Ron said with pursed lips.

"I, err –"

"Scorpius, I don't care."

"Okay," Scorpius gulped.

"The point is," Ron sighed, "for all intents and purposes, I _like_ you, alright? And I'm not going to be walking Rose down the aisle and giving her away because it's expected of me, or because she wants me to. I'm going to do that because _I_ want to. And I think" – he looked down uncomfortably, unable to look Scorpius in the eye – "it would really make me happy to do so."

Scorpius was so awestruck that he almost spoke up and expressed such sentiments to Ron. But he obediently remained silent.

"And that's another thing I want to say," Ron remembered, looking back at him sharply. "This 'giving away' business. I'm not 'giving' Rose to you, alright? It has become blindingly clear to me that Rose, other than being my daughter, is not _mine._ She has always been a very strong, very self-assured, independent person, and I am immensely proud of her for that. She never followed the rules I set out for her – especially when it came to you – she always did what _she_ wanted."

Scorpius smiled fondly. Her stubbornness was one of the reasons he so loved Rose.

"So, no, it's not my place to 'give' her to you. And you are not, for one second, to ever think that she is yours in the same way that your cat is, or your outdated broomstick."

"Mr Weasley, I don't have a c–"

"Well, you're about to get one," Ron reminded him impatiently.

Scorpius had to admit, he'd forgotten Rose had a cat. A cat who'd never particularly been fond of him…

"Yeah, I mean, I guess so but –"

"Scorpius, I'm not done."

"Right, okay. Sorry. I just" – Scorpius noticed Ron's penetrating gaze and fell silent.

"How does Rose normally get you to shut up?" Ron snorted.

"Oh, well, she kisses me," Scorpius explained, completely oblivious. "It's quite impressive actually. She can do this thing with her tongue where she –"

"Scorpius…"

"Never mind. I'll, umm, I'll be shutting up again now. Probably forever."

"I would advise you say very little to me during the next hour, especially with regards to my daughter's kissing technique, before I end up marching her straight out of this hotel."

Scorpius, having learnt from his mistakes, held his tongue and tried to look as sincere and respectful as possible.

Ron looked satisfied. "You don't have a cat yet," he said in a calm, wise sort of voice, "but you'll be getting one soon. And you'll also be getting a wife. And trust me, they're a lot more work."

Scorpius very nearly made some witty comment about making sure to feed Rose twice a day, and rubbing her belly to get her to purr.

He decided not to.

"I don't know where I was going with this," Ron said with a frown. "Just – don't take advantage of her, alright? Rose is very strong-willed and I want you to respect that. I want you to see her as an equal to you."

"I do," Scorpius breathed before he could stop himself.

Ron looked agitated at being further interrupted. "Save it for an hour's time," he said sarcastically. "And just listen to me. _Really_ listen to me. We've had our differences in the past, and I've perhaps been harsher to you than maybe I should have been, but that's only because I'm so overprotective of Rose. I'm so proud of her, and I want only the best for her – you understand?"

Scorpius nodded.

"And I wanted you to prove that to me before I could fully accept you. So, no, in 'giving Rose away,' from me to you, it's not like me simply passing over my signed Chudley Cannon's scarf – and believe me, that means a _lot_ to me. Rose is far more valuable anyway, but she's not something to 'give.' _Cherish her_ ," he ordered, "more than even your own life. Treat her with the respect she deserves, and never lose sight of what's really important. Because when it comes to marriage, once you're in it, you're in it for good."

Scorpius opened his mouth.

" _You_ are in it for good," Ron growled. "Unless Rose says so. This is not a commitment you are going to make lightly, Scorpius. You were incredibly lucky that you were able to make it up with her so quickly after the incident last week. And I'll admit, part of the reason I sympathised with you and urged you to make amends was because I've spent so much money on this bloody wedding and it was too late to get refunds."

It took Scorpius everything he had not to laugh.

"But it was also because, _despite_ our past differences, I don't think she'll ever find anyone who's as good for her as you are. However, as I said, you were lucky last week. You don't get second chances like that in marriage. Maybe in some, but not to my daughter. You've screwed her over too many times before – once that ring is on your finger, and you've said your vows, that is _it._ I will _not_ sympathise with you, and I will _not_ be giving you a second chance if anything like that ever happens again. Understand?"

Scorpius nodded, swallowing a lump in his throat. He wished he had something to drink.

"You can talk again," Ron sighed.

"Thank you," Scorpius said. "I, err, I don't mean about the talking again thing – I mean, for everything you just said. The thing is, I _don't_ see Rose as an equal, Mr Weasley –"

Ron raised his eyebrows, taken aback.

"– I see her so much more highly than myself."

"Scorpius, that's really not healthy either," Ron pointed out. "As much as I want you to, her being my daughter and all, you can't just put Rose on a pedestal all the time. You have to understand that's got her flaws too – she's got her own insecurities – and it's not going to help her for you to glorify all that."

"No, I wouldn't," Scorpius said quickly. "I'm saying I love her _in spite_ of her flaws."

"Just as long as she knows that."

"I'd never let her doubt that," he vowed. "Never again."

"I know I've told you to always put Rose first," Ron said a little uncomfortably, "but don't… put yourself down in the process, alright? That's not healthy for you either. Marriage is all about compromise. You can't put yourself above her, but you shouldn't be putting her above yourself either. Equality," he said wisely. "That's the key."

Scorpius hadn't ever really looked at it like that before. He had always put Rose first, or at the very least always _strived_ to put her first. In his eyes he'd never really been worthy of her – never fully deserving. He wasn't sure he knew how to put himself in league with her.

"I want to make Rose proud, Mr Weasley," Scorpius assured him. "I want to make my dad proud, and I want to make _you_ proud."

"Make my daughter happy and you will," was all Ron said.

"Believe me, I intend to."

Ron looked satisfied again. "Good," he said, the smallest of smiles playing on his lips. "That's all I want."

"And thank you," Scorpius said after a slight pause, "for letting me make so many mistakes in order to get to where I am today. I, ah, I'm kind of glad you put me to the test as much as you did. It really opened my eyes to how much Rose means to me – how far I'm willing to go for her."

Ron looked proud of himself. He extended a hand, which Scorpius shook gratefully. "Good luck with the wedding. I hope it goes well."

"Thank you, Mr Weasley, I hope so too."

As Ron made his way to the door, Scorpius emitted a silent sigh of relief. Okay, that hadn't been as bad as he'd thought it might have been. And in some ways it had been oddly enlightening.

Ron lingered in the doorway, looking sheepish. "If, err…"

Scorpius looked at him expectantly.

"If Hermione asks, can you tell her I hugged you?"

* * *

There was a knock on the door. Rose, expecting to find her father ready to walk her down the aisle to her intended (even though it was still slightly too early), was deeply surprised to find herself face to face with Mason Hart, her elder cousin's best friend.

"Mason? Is everything alright? Is Scorpius okay?" Rose asked in a panic, immediately fearing the worst. Why else would Mason seek her out, just ten minutes before her wedding?

"Oh, no, he's fine," Mason assured her. "But I… I need to talk to you, Rose. Can I, err, can I come in?"

"Oh, sure, of course." Rose backed into the room of the bridal suite to let Mason enter, more confused than ever. She was alone in the room, her bridesmaids having gone, despite her protests, for a last-minute coffee. Rose had refused to let them anywhere near her virginally white dress with their drinks, even though an impromptu stain could have been cleared up instantly with the use of magic.

As Mason closed the door behind him, he leant back against it, looking breathless, taking in the sight of Rose with what she could only describe as a pained sort of expression.

Rose felt immediately concerned. She and Mason had never been particularly close. He was James' best friend, not even in the same year as Rose at Hogwarts, and although he'd been Gwen's boyfriend for almost the entirety of her fourth year, Rose and Mason had never really gotten to know each other that well.

They ran in the same social circles, and Rose would consider him a friend, but only due to circumstance. She wasn't sure, had it not been for James and Gwen's connections, that she necessarily would have overlapped with him much. They didn't have much in common, after all.

It was true that they'd gotten closer in Rose's past years at Hogwarts, what with them being on the Gryffindor Quidditch team together, and being involved in 'Bobbin's Army.' But that had fizzled out in Rose's final year, after he'd graduated, and she'd barely seen him since leaving Hogwarts herself.

So the fact that he was now pressed against the door of her bridal suite, ten minutes before she was due to say 'I do,' Rose knew something serious must be up.

"You look… so beautiful," he gulped.

Rose felt her heart flutter. She was done up in all her glory – wedding dress on, hair and makeup completed, veil tightly gripped into place, (and Ebony's garter safely secured around her thigh). She was only biding time until Ron arrived and announced they were ready to start. And it was flattering to be complimented in such a way. It made her only that more excited for Scorpius to see her.

"Thank you, Mason," Rose beamed. "You look great too."

He really did. Rose had barely looked twice at Mason during their school years, finding him too similar to James to be interested, and then him being firmly off limits once he and Gwen had begun dating. But she could appreciate that he was very good looking, with soft chocolatey-coloured eyes, and brown hair that was sort of long and rugged, but in a way that wouldn't normally have appealed to her. Dressed in his finery, he did look very handsome. It made her only that more excited to see what Scorpius looked like.

Mason was still leant against the back of the door, almost like he was scared to get any closer to Rose.

"Is everything alright?" she blurted out again, immediately coming down from the high his compliment had given her. "With the wedding? Is – is everybody okay? Is –"

"Everybody is fine, Rose," Mason interrupted calmly. "I didn't come here because of some kind of problem with the wedding. It's, ah, it's a personal matter actually."

Rose didn't think she'd ever seen him look more uncomfortable. "Is it Gwen?" she asked breathlessly, full of sympathy. "Is it uncomfortable for both of you – being here together? Did you get together last night?" she asked, suddenly excited. There was an odd sort of appeal in Gwen and Mason rekindling their romance after so many years apart.

They'd actually ended on very good terms – none of the hostility that Jinx and Albireo were currently experiencing. Mason and Gwen had remained close after their breakup, comfortable in each other's company and still good friends. In fact, Rose wasn't even sure she could remember why they _had_ broken up.

"What? N-no, it's not… Gwen," Mason said, looking appropriately dazed.

Rose supposed it had been a bit of a surprising question, and felt embarrassed. "I'm sorry," she apologised, "I don't know why I thought that. I just… I don't know, I thought it would be quite sweet, you know, at a wedding, if the two of you were –"

"Gwen and I aren't going to get back together," Mason said firmly. He offered an apologetic sort of smile. "I, ah, I think we've moved on too much for that to happen."

Rose, hopeless romantic that she was, felt her heart sink at such a firm dismissal. She supposed it was different for Gwen and Mason, as Rose had only ever been with Scorpius, and obviously loved him deeply. Having reconciled with him after a year and a half split had been wildly romantic, but perhaps time, rather than heightening their longing for each other, had simply fizzled out any tender emotions Mason and Gwen may have once shared. Perhaps theirs really was destined to be only a high school romance.

"Ah," Rose said, still embarrassed for having brought it up. "I'm sorry – I didn't mean to imply anything."

"No, it's fine," Mason said calmly. "But, no" – he gulped – "Gwen isn't for me. Not… not anymore. We're fine though," he assured her. "You don't need to worry about that."

So what _did_ she have to worry about, Rose suddenly remembered. "So this personal problem…?" she prompted.

Mason was blushing ever so slightly, still pushed up against the door, like he couldn't bear to be anywhere near her. "Rose," he said, before exhaling a long and steady breath. "About Scorpius." He looked her in the eye with deep sincerity. "Are you happy with him? Truly?"

Rose was so taken aback by the question, and the way in which Mason had asked it, that she wasn't sure how to respond at first. "I… of course," she said in a daze.

Ten minutes before her wedding, why was she being asked that question? Why was _Mason_ asking her that question? Had he been sent by Ron, perhaps, or James, or maybe even Scorpius himself?

Mason appeared to swallow a lump in his throat. "Good," he said with a nod. "That's… really good."

The pained expression had never left his face, and all of a sudden Rose felt incredibly uncomfortable. She felt like she was missing something. And, for whatever reason, she felt incredibly guilty about it.

"Mason…" she began weakly, unsure where she was going.

He emitted a shaky breath. "I just… I didn't want you to go through with it if you weren't one hundred percent truly happy with him. Because you deserve that, Rose, you really do."

Rose would have expected this, perhaps, but not from _Mason_ of all people. Sure, it was nice of him to look out for her and possibly prevent her from making a mistake, but it wasn't like she and him were close. It wasn't like they'd ever had an emotional heart-to-heart before, or _ever_ really had a deep conversation.

Not even about Gwen, or James, or somebody they both had in common or…

A memory struck Rose so hard that she almost physically took a step back.

* * *

 _The breath had hitched in her throat as she reached forward to gently wind a hand into Mason's hair, soft, reassuring. It was so different to anything she'd ever felt before._

 _Maybe it was because of the fire and the romantic connotations it offered._

 _Maybe it was because they'd just exposed themselves in such an emotionally vulnerable way._

 _Maybe it was because they were both so alone at what should have been a joyful time of year, full of love._

 _Or maybe it was because he had just called her beautiful, and she had never actually believed anybody who'd said it up until then._

 _Whatever it was, Rose did not pull her hand away, not even when Mason leaned in ever so slightly, his eyes as brown as melted chocolate, staring into her own. She hadn't been so close to someone, both physically and emotionally, in such a long time._

 _The fire urged them on, filling their hearts with warmth, replacing what had been taken from them – the warmth and intimacy of being with somebody they loved. Rose couldn't even hear the rain anymore; she couldn't even think about the grey slush it had rendered the snow._

 _And then they kissed._

* * *

It was like a lightbulb had truly lit up in Rose's head. She _had_ , on one forgotten occasion, had a vulnerable heart-to-heart with Mason. And they'd done more than just talk; they had _kissed._

The more she thought about it, the more clarity the memory came into. It had been Christmas of Rose's fifth year, and Mason' sixth, and they'd both been stranded in the Gryffindor Common Room, Rose freshly broken up with Scorpius, and Mason separated from Gwen for the holidays.

It had been the only time Rose had kissed Mason. In fact, the only time she'd ever kissed a boy who wasn't Scorpius.

She had not thought of that kiss in _years._ Even after it had happened, she had barely spared it a second thought. She had been so hopelessly in love with Scorpius, even during their split, and her kiss with the Gryffindor Sixth Year had been so meaningless and unemotional, that she'd quite simply forgotten it had ever happened.

It hadn't changed a single thing in her relationship with Mason – they had both understood it was a heat-of-the-moment sort of whim, no emotional connotations or expectations attached. Granted, they'd never actually talked about it – never fully addressed it – but that was because they hadn't needed to. They had both known it didn't mean anything, and that there was nothing to worry about or ponder on. It had been a silent truce.

At least, it had been for Rose…

She looked at Mason now, dressed in her full wedding attire, really _seeing_ the pain in his eyes, and gulped.

"I love Scorpius," she said breathlessly. "I… of course I do. I always have. I always will."

Why did she sound so apologetic all of a sudden?

"Good," Mason said again, looking like he was trying to reassure her. "I just needed to know. I know he's hurt you really badly in the past, and I just… needed to know that your heart was fully in this. It's never too late, Rose. You shouldn't feel like you _have_ to do this. Like it's expected of you or something."

He was looking at her with such meaning, deep and apologetic, that it actually frightened Rose.

"N-no," she stuttered, horrified by the notion. "No, I _do_ want this," she insisted. "Scorpius means everything to me. I _want_ to marry him. More than anything. I'm…"

 _Sorry_ , she almost said, but bit her lip. Why would she be apologising to Mason for marrying Scorpius? Why, all of a sudden, did she feel like she had been oblivious to possibilities that had never crossed her mind before…

Years of complete and total obliviousness. But no, that was impossible. Wasn't it?

She looked at Mason desperately, as though seeking answers. Not that she was sure she really wanted them, now that she suspected a truth that would change _everything_.

"Scorpius is – I mean, I know he's made mistakes in the past, but he –"

"Rose, it's fine," Mason assured her, alarmed by how shrill and desperate she'd gotten. "Really. I just needed to know for myself," he explained awkwardly. "I can see that you really do love him… That this is really want you want. I, ah, I'm sorry for having come here."

"N-no," Rose stuttered again, still unsure how to process it all. "It's fine."

The truth, whatever it was, wouldn't change anything, Rose realised. Not for her, at least. But it struck her to think she had overlooked such a shocking truth for countless years, none the wiser to any unintentional pain she might have been causing. But she daren't even _think_ of what her paranoia seemed to be implying…

She could not.

Not ten minutes before her wedding.

She took a step towards the frightened man. "Mason, I –"

"I should go, Rose," he cut in, grappling for the door handle. "I'm so sorry. I hope everything goes well. Scorpius is a lucky guy. You… you really do look beautiful."

 _Someone could announce their secret, undying love for me right before the vows._

Rose nearly screamed at the voice in the back of her mind. Instead she yelled at an unsuspecting Mason as he tried to escape. "Mason, wait!"

He flashed her a wary look. But Rose didn't know what to say. She didn't know what she _could_ say. She was suddenly painfully aware that Mason and Gwen had broken up a week after that kiss.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "For coming to the wedding. For always supporting me and Scorpius. You always… you always looked out for me."

The two held each other's gazes in silence for a while, a thousand unsaid words surfacing in their minds. Words, emotions, thoughts that Rose had never considered until then. Not on her own behalf, but Mason's.

"Can you pass me the bouquet?" she asked quietly.

Mason followed her eye line to wear the bouquet was delicately resting on the dresser, as blue as the rest of the wedding decorations, much darker than Rose's eyes. When he passed it to her politely, a charge of emotional tension passing between them, he lingered. It was the closest the two of them had been, physically, and maybe even emotionally, since that teenage kiss.

The kiss that Rose had dismissed in an instant, and never once pondered on.

She suddenly did not know whether the same applied to Mason.

He offered a weak, forced smile, which didn't extend to his eyes. They were still sad, and full of pain. Rose felt like she should say something more, but the words wouldn't come. Mason offered a polite nod of his head before departing the room, never looking back.

Rose stayed where she was for a while, the bouquet clutched in her hands, deep in thought.

* * *

" _Malfoy,"_ James barked, entering Scorpius' room once more.

"What?" Scorpius asked in a panic. The wedding was due to start – he had just been about to leave and take his place at the altar.

"We need to talk," James said firmly. He and Scorpius were alone in the room; Ron was long gone.

"I'm a little busy, James," Scorpius said sarcastically. "I was just about to, you know, get _married._ You can talk to me after."

He made to push his way past James and out of the room, but the elder man flung out an arm to prevent him from leaving. There was a very uncharacteristic coldness in James' demeanour, the likes of which hadn't been aimed at Scorpius since he was fifteen and James had hated him.

"Don't be a smart arse. If you don't let me say what I have to say then there won't _be_ a wedding."

Scorpius didn't know whether to laugh or not. He looked at James with a questioning look, as though he might give some indication. James' hard expression remained deadly serious.

"Are you… _what?"_

"Rose doesn't have a brother," James began, folding his arms.

"Yes, she does, she –"

"She doesn't have an older brother," James corrected.

When he was so close to Scorpius, the slight difference in height was emphasised. James was impressively tall, making Scorpius feel, even though he wasn't exactly _short_ , impossibly small.

"Do you remember when we were trapped in the basement at Rosewood Manor?" James asked with an emotionless expression.

How could Scorpius forget? In the heat of battle, he had found himself trapped in a room with James, Ron, and Sam – the three people who, at that time, had hated him most. It wasn't exactly up there with Scorpius' fondest memories. But no, he hadn't forgotten.

"Yes, James, I do, but I really need to –"

"Do you remember what I said to you?"

Scorpius and James had said a lot, but he thought he knew which aspect of the conversation James was now referring to.

* * *

" _Listen here, Malfoy, I am going to say these words only once, and if you dare say anything about it to Rose, I shall deny it ever happened, and denounce you for the terrible liar that you are."_

 _Scorpius held his breath, a little scared of whatever James was going to say._

" _You and Rose are goddamned perfect for each other. Now, in the absence of an elder brother figure, I am giving you one chance, and one chance only, to go after her again. Screw it up, then it's over. Done. Finished. For good."_

* * *

"Yes…" Scorpius said slowly, eyeing James warily.

"Good. So in the absence of an elder brother figure –"

"James," Scorpius cut in, "I respect what you're doing here, I really do, but I _don't_ have time for this now. If I'm not downstairs in less than a minute then it's going to freak Rose out and –"

He was cut short by the ferocity of James narrowing his eyes.

"What if you wrote it down?" Scorpius suggested impatiently. "I'll read your intimidating 'brother-in-law' talk after the wedding, alright?"

"I thought I told you _not_ to be a smart arse."

" _James._ "

"I'm being deadly serious here, Malfoy," James said. Scorpius didn't doubt it – the use of his surname was indication enough. "And if you can't take this seriously then –"

"I _do_ take this seriously, James," Scorpius said in a desperate voice, "but I literally just had the 'don't mess Rose around or you'll have me to answer to' talk from Rose's dad, and no offense, but I'm a lot more scared of him than I am of you."

James' expression only hardened. "Well, you _should_ be scared of me, because if you do mess Rose around then you _will_ have me to answer to. I'm not kidding here – I stand by the things I said to you two years ago. And once you're married to Rose then that warning intensifies by like, ten times."

"Okay. Good. Thanks for the heads-up."

Scorpius tried for the door again, but James stopped him once more. Scorpius sighed and looked at him with an irritated 'what now' sort of look.

"I _will_ beat you up, Malfoy."

Scorpius wanted to laugh again. It had been years since he'd had a threat of force from James Potter. It felt reminiscent and bittersweet. "I've no doubt that you will."

"And it will hurt," James clarified. "A lot."

"I know, James, it wouldn't be the first time you've beaten me up." Scorpius' patience was wearing incredibly thin. It wouldn't be a particularly reassuring start to their life as a married couple if Scorpius was late to the wedding. Especially as Rose was already so paranoid about everything going wrong.

"Yeah, well, you had it coming to you back then," James said, looking uncomfortable.

Scorpius raised his eyebrows. "I'm not sure I _really_ did, but let's just leave that in the past, alright? You have my full permission to punch me as many times, and as hard as you like, if I ever deeply upset Rose, alright? You and her dad can join forces and punch me together if you like – see how many bones in my body you can break."

James looked torn between wanting to laugh and wanting to retain his intimidating persona. He pursed his lips and gave a firm nod of his head. "As long as we're clear on that."

"Crystal," Scorpius confirmed. "But seriously, if you don't let me go, there's not even going to be a chance for me to wreck my marriage."

"That's not funny," James said, now looking uncomfortable again.

"James, _please_ ," Scorpius begged. "I love Rose, and I want to give her the happiest marriage she could possibly imagine. But I'm not going to be able to that if I don't even make it to my own wedding!"

James finally seemed to loosen up. "Alright, fine." At last the infamous smirk broke out again. He slapped Scorpius on the shoulder, back to normal. "Go get hitched. Oh, and try not to wear yourself out too much tonight, because you don't want to peak and then perform disappointingly on the honeymoon –"

Scorpius rolled his eyes, drowned James out and headed, finally, for the door.

"Oh, wait!" James yelled.

"James, _please_ , I can understand the intimidating brother/cousin talk, but I really do not need any more bedroom advice from you right now. Or _ever_ , in fact!"

"No, it's not that," he dismissed. "I meant to tell you earlier – your father's parents are here."

* * *

Rose took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. The sunlight was still as warm and inviting as it had felt when it awoke her. Part of her longed to be outside, feeling it on her skin, but at that moment in time she wouldn't have dreamed of being anywhere else.

She and her four bridesmaids were waiting for the signal. Any moment now…

The door to the bridal suite opened with a click. Ron and Hermione entered, looking the best dressed Rose had ever seen them. Hermione was already crying as she took in the sight of her daughter, and even Ron looked a little choked up. Unlike his wife, he forced his hard emotionless exterior to remain intact.

The bridesmaids leapt to their feet excitedly.

"Is it time?" Rose whispered, heart beating wildly.

"It's time," Ron confirmed, a small smile breaking out.

Hermione's hand flew to her mouth as she struggled to stifle the tears. Rose was so overwhelmed that she nearly started crying herself. She laughed gently at her mum. Ron too looked at her endearingly.

"I'm sorry," Hermione apologised, waving her hand. "It's just… you're so grown up. And you're so beautiful, and I remember when you were just a little girl and –"

"Hermione, love, why don't you go and take your seat?" Ron urged as gently as he could. "Right, yes, of course," she mumbled, running her hands over her dress and trying to calm herself. When she looked back at Rose, her eyes were sparkling with so much more than tears. There was a deep maternal pride rooted in them. "I know it's been a really stressful time for you, Rose, and maybe I wasn't that much help –"

"Mum," Rose began awkwardly. It wasn't Hermione's fault after all; Rose had been the difficult one.

"– but I'm really proud of you," Hermione went on anyway. "And I know I said that your father and I might not make it to the evening, but we wouldn't miss it for the world and –"

"Mum, it's fine."

"I know Kingsley couldn't make it today, but we're hoping he's got it under control and we won't need to –"

" _Mum._ "

"What?" Hermione asked nervously.

"It's fine," Rose laughed. "Please, just go and sit down so I can get married."

Hermione laughed too. "You're right. I'm sorry, Rose."

Hermione hesitated only slightly, taking in the sight of her daughter, every bit as beautiful as she had been on her own wedding day (not that she'd have been so vain as to think it). She reached out to touch Rose's cheek, that motherly pride coursing through the warmth in her fingertips, and then with one final smile she left.

Rose turned to face her father with a feeling of breathless anticipation.

"You ready?" he asked.

Rose felt too jittery to respond, whether out of nerves or excitement, so she merely nodded. She had been separated from Scorpius for less than twelve hours, and yet she'd never felt such a significant period of separation from him.

There was a sadness in Ron's eyes. Not because of Rose's decision to marry Scorpius Malfoy (as she might once have suspected), but perhaps because, like Hermione, he was overcome by how much his little girl had grown up. He gave her a warm smile. "Let's go get you married then."

The four bridesmaids lined up behind Rose as she took hold of Ron's arm, the bridal bouquet in her other hand.

"Is anybody else going commando?" Rose heard Janey's distinctive voice mumble from the back of the procession, as they made their way down the corridor.

"Nah, I'm wearing a thong," she was sure Ebony said in response.

Rose just shook her head, gently laughing to herself. The walk to the room in which Rose and Scorpius would be getting married seemed the longest walk of Rose's life, and yet, before she even knew it, the door loomed in front of her.

All the breath left her body. She was really doing this. _They_ were really doing this. The story of Rose and Scorpius was starting its next huge chapter.

"Daddy, I'm scared," Rose whispered. The broad oak doors in front of her seemed so condemning.

"Of what?" Ron asked back with gentle concern.

"I… I don't know."

And she didn't. It wasn't any of the things anybody had voiced to her. She wasn't scared of making a commitment she couldn't keep; she wasn't scared she was making a mistake, or that she and Scorpius weren't ready; she wasn't even scared that she would open up that door and find it absent of her intended. All the problems and worst-case-scenarios were as far from her mind as possible.

No, it wasn't any of that.

"Rose." Ron had taken hold of his daughter's hand, and was looking at her seriously. He spoke so only she could hear. "I never thought we'd be here today. Or rather, I never thought _I'd_ be here today."

Rose smiled through her nerves.

"But here we are," Ron went on, "and I've never been more proud of you. Every obstacle that you and Scorpius faced – most of them put in place by myself, I'll admit that – you forced your way through. That is a strong love, Rose," he assured her. "Stronger than most will ever find in their lifetime. You need to know, and I told this same thing to Scorpius too, I have never been more genuinely happy than it's going to make me to see you marry him."

Okay, now Rose was certain she was going to cry. "Daddy," she said in a quiet, awed voice.

"It's okay to be scared, Rose," Ron said. "That's part of the fun of it all."

"Were you scared?"

"Deathly so."

Rose let out another gentle laugh. "Of getting married?"

"Absolutely. Everything about your mother terrifies me," he said with wink, prompting more laughter from Rose. "No, in all seriousness, I was terrified. I always had been – not of her, but the way I felt for her. You and Scorpius did the right thing – you embraced your emotions and accepted them for what they were. Maybe that's part of the reason I could never get on board with you and him. I think there was a part of me that could see that you'd both fallen as hopelessly as I had done by your age, and rather than trying to fight it like I did, you embraced it. You did everything I didn't do; you got everything I couldn't have."

"But you did," Rose said, slightly alarmed. "I mean, didn't you? We're talking about Mum, right? _Right?"_

"Of course," Ron assured her, grinning again. "I got more than I could ever have wanted, Rose. I got to marry the girl I'd fallen foolishly in love with, and somehow managed to have her fall as foolishly in love with me as well. And I got more than that – I got two beautiful children. One of which I got to watch fall in love all on her own. And now" – he gulped – "I get to watch her marry the love of her life too. There's nothing more rewarding than that. Not for a father. Not for me."

It was only when Janey let out an unsubtle cough that Rose remembered there were four impatient bridesmaids behind her, and a room full of excited wedding guests waiting on her, just on the other side of the door. Scorpius was in there, she thought excitedly.

She had but one question left for her father.

"Is it worth it?"

Ron took barely any time to reply. "Every single second."

And that was all Rose needed. "I'm ready," she assured him, gripping hold of her bouquet tightly.

Ron gave her hand a final squeeze of encouragement before allowing her to slip it back into the crook of his arm. With one final breath, Rose closed her eyes and turned to face forwards. She lifted her head high, extending her neck like an elegant swan. When she opened her eyes, the doors were open.

Ron took the first step, Rose on his arm. As she took her first step into the aisle, the guests that filled the seats surrounding her rose to their feet. It was too much for Rose to take in properly. She looked from side to side with breathless delight, all eyes fixed on her. Familiar faces leapt out from every side – family, friends, old schoolmates, even some of her old professors – each with the same look of pride and warmth that Rose's parents had given her.

Teddy and Victoire gave her subtle thumbs-ups as she passed. Felix was obediently silent. Bobbin and Roberts were just behind them, hands held. Rose couldn't be sure whether they were watching her with pride, or Ebony, who was just behind her, holding Rose's train. Both, probably, Rose decided.

She saw Neville and Luna with their families, and Lily and Serephina looking like excited school children all over again. Even Hugo, who had always been fond of Scorpius, looked emotional as his big sister walked past. Fleur was crying amongst the Potter-Weasleys, as was Molly Weasley, Rose's grandmother. Harry looked as proud as Ron had, by Ginny's side (who was wearing particularly huge sunglasses, Rose noticed in amusement).

Rose was halfway down the aisle now, heart still thumping. She saw Draco Malfoy, his shockingly blond hair too impossible to ignore, the very vision of his son. Rose felt a pang of guilt as her thoughts travelled briefly to Astoria. Would she truly have detested Scorpius' decision to marry Rose? Would her cold heart not have melted at seeing such love her only son felt for the girl?

Rose didn't have too much time to ponder on Mrs Malfoy, because two people whom she had never expected to see had just caught her eye. She couldn't be sure, of course, having never met them, but there could be no denying. Not with that shockingly blond hair, too impossible to ignore…

Rose knew her suspicions were correct when she felt Ron tense, having followed her gaze. But they didn't stop. Father and daughter kept walking arm in arm, deeply shocked, as they passed Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy.

Mr Malfoy's grey eyes rolled over Rose with a certain coldness, his lips tightly pursed.

Rose didn't know what to think. She hadn't expected them to come; they hadn't RSVP'd at all. What possible motivation could Lucius Malfoy have, who despised the Weasley family with every fibre of his being, for wishing to attend his grandson's wedding with a girl he deemed a traitor?

 _A bad one_ , Rose thought with alarm. _Family arguments, protesting the wedding, interrupting the vows –_

Every ounce of fear, worry, and anxiety Rose had ever felt for the wedding, and perhaps her entire life, were instantly gone when she did the thing she realised she hadn't done once since setting foot on the aisle.

She looked at Scorpius.

Rose and Scorpius's first sighting of each other had been across a crowded ballroom when she had been just fourteen years old, and he fifteen. Their eyes, their souls, had seemingly found each other, like magnets drawn to each other, hearts exploding with previously unexplored emotions.

They had learnt, two years later, it had been as a result of love potions and forgetfulness potions, and all number of trickery at play on Lily's behalf. And yet, it had been so real.

It was in that moment, when Rose's eyes finally landed on that of her groom, that she felt that impossibly light feeling with as equal ferocity as the first time, for the first time since that first sighting. Rose knew now that she'd been naïve to believe in such strong 'love at first sight' as her fourteen-year-old self had believed she was experiencing, but she knew then, at the still-young age of twenty, that she would never be more in love with any person, place, thing, or feeling as she was with Scorpius Malfoy.

She perhaps had not loved him back then, but she did now, and no amount of love potions or magical trickery could cause her to fall deeper in love than she already was.

He was beautiful to her, the sunlight gleaming down through the window illuminating him like an angel. Hair never blonder, eyes never greener, skin never softer – every inch of his face glowed at the sight of her. Scorpius Malfoy, as handsome as ever, had a look on his face that suggested he was both the happiest and luckiest man in the world.

And as Rose's heart swelled, she realised she was seeing that look for the fourth time. Three times she had seen the very definition of love defined in a single look – eyes gleaming, breathless smile, un-suppressible dimples. On Teddy Lupin's face, on James Potter's face, and on Cepheus Roberts' face, as she has witnessed each of them watch their bride walk the aisle.

Rose had only dreamed of the look she would see on Scorpius' face as he watched her prepare to say her vows, and she was so overwhelmed by finally seeing it in the flesh that she wanted to cry and laugh at the same time.

That look of uncontainable, unending love and warmth – put in place by nobody other than herself. And she knew that it would be reflected in her own face. She had never been happier, never more in love. Even feet away from each other, the couple had never shared a more private, intimate, and romantic moment.

In fact, Rose temporarily forgot where she was. She forgot the hundreds of eyes trained on her. She saw no one but _him_. She heard no noise other than the beautiful harmonious music she heard whenever she was with him.

 _No,_ Rose realised suddenly, that music was _real._

She looked around suddenly, her gaze falling on a grand ivory piano positioned behind the altar, where a pianist was playing the live melody she was hearing. Rose's mouth fell into a silent 'oh' of surprised delight.

It was the most beautiful music Rose had ever heard, as gentle as trickling water, a building crescendo of emotion with the rise and fall of every note, and deeply familiar to Rose. She recognised it immediately as the piece Scorpius had composed and played to her himself, titled _Rose_.

Meant to capture his feelings for her in music during a time he had felt confused and lost, Rose felt every note, and every emotion Scorpius had poured into the melody, just as she had done upon the first listen.

It made her heart feel light and warm, reliving every beautiful moment of the love they'd shared, every harmony and cadence capturing a different part of their relationship, all the tenderness, passion, and beauty. Every kiss, every embrace, every touch. Every unspoken word.

Rose had never been more pleasantly surprised. She had orchestrated every single aspect of the wedding as much as she could, and yet this had slipped by without notice. And _oh, Merlin_ , she was falling even _more_ in love with him.

The music trickled to a gentle silence as Rose reached the front of the room. Ron kissed Rose on the cheek, offered Scorpius a meaningful, almost proud smile, and took his seat in the front row. Each bridesmaid smiled at her as they too took their seats. Now at the front, Rose could see the people she hadn't before, having been so intent on locking eyes with Scorpius. Hermione was, of course, crying. James gave a gentle nod. Sam, Mason, even Albireo and Jinx (who were politely sat in the same row), each gave her reassuring smiles.

Albus and Ebony were positioned in their respective spaces behind the bride and groom.

Finally Rose looked back to Scorpius, who looked, now that she was close enough to see, so overwhelmed that he might cry too.

Rose held her bouquet in front of her proudly, beaming at the face of the man she loved. No matter how many times she'd dreamed of her wedding, it could never have compared to the beautiful and overwhelming reality.

"You look so beautiful," Scorpius whispered to her, like a secret shared between lovers, actually sounding a little choked up.

"So do you," Rose whispered back, prompting a smile.

There was no more time for hushed conversations. The guests took their seats. The wedding ceremony began.

* * *

The ceremony ran so smoothly that Rose wondered why she had ever gotten so worked up about it in the first place. No matter what chaos surrounded them, building up to and perhaps after, the ceremony itself was like a blissful bubble of relief and joy.

Only when those fateful words rang out around the room did Rose's anxiety set in once more. "If anybody knows of any reason why these two should not be wed in holy matrimony, ye art to declare it now, or forever hold your peace."

Rose felt her heart stop. She felt her eyes flicker around the room, landing on specific people. Ron, James, Sam, Mason, and then, further making her heart sink, Lucius Malfoy. When no sounds were made – no angry voices speaking out, no movements made whatsoever, nobody bursting through the doors, no ghostly spectre of the deceased Astoria Malfoy appearing – she looked at Scorpius with thrilled delight, unable to believe it.

Scorpius laughed silently at her reaction, eyes full of love.

By the time it came to the vows, Rose was so overwhelmed by how smoothly the whole event had been, she was worried this would be the part that would fall apart.

"Do you, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, take Rose Hermione Weasley, to be your beloved wife, knowing in your heart that you will be a faithful friend, and a loving companion? On this special day, in the presence of family and friends as witnesses, do you give your sacred vow that you will always be with Rose and support her, in times of sickness and in times of health, in times of joy and in times of sorrow? Do you promise to love her completely, to console and comfort her during difficult times, to laugh with her and to grieve with her, to share with her life's simplest but most enduring pleasures, to be truthful and honest with her, and to cherish her, for as long as you both shall live?"

Scorpius spoke with calmness and ease, putting Rose's troubled mind at rest, once and for all. "I do."

Once she too affirmed that she would love and cherish Scorpius for as long as they both shall live, Rose passed her bouquet to Ebony, and Albus handed over the rings.

Rose took a breath, looking straight into Scorpius' glistening green eyes. "Scorpius," she began, trying to ignore the fact that literally hundreds of people were watching her put her love into words, including her parents.

Including Lucius Malfoy.

"Scorpius," she said again. Looking as deeply as she possibly could into his eyes seemed to put her at ease. "I first met you officially when I was fourteen years old. I thought, immediately, that I was in love with you then, which looking back now is a little embarrassing, and rather stupid," she laughed uneasily. "Since that day we have been in all number of incredibly stupid and embarrassing situations, and" – she beamed – "knowing us, we'll probably find ourselves in a whole lot more. When I was fourteen years old, I didn't know you at all – only what I'd heard about you, none of which was particularly favourable –"

Lots of people laughed at that, filling Rose with confidence.

"– but also, I didn't know myself. At fourteen years old I didn't know the first thing about myself. I was stubborn, and overemotional, obsessed with pleasing every and any person I could, desperately trying to be the person I thought I was expected to be, and maybe not the person I wanted to be, or the person I really was.

"But being with you has changed me," she said proudly. "With your hand in mine we took on the world together. And sometimes I think about when we were young – when times were difficult and it was hard to take – the whole world against us. And I think about the first time you kissed me, or the first time you told me you loved me. I think about fighting for you, fighting _with_ you – going to court with you!"

More gentle laughter.

"And through all that, whilst everybody else thought I was losing myself, I really knew that because of you I was finding myself. And maybe I didn't know you _or_ myself when I was fourteen, but now I'd like to think that I do. And maybe I'm still just as stubborn and overemotional, but when I think about who we both were at fourteen, and who we are now, and everything we've been through together, I realise two things." She took a breath. "Firstly, that you made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter. And secondly, that I love you endlessly for doing that.

"Scorpius Malfoy," Rose said, drawing to a close, staring up at him with long-lashed, adoration-filled eyes, "you are, without a doubt, the best thing I've ever been able to call mine. And I would lose myself a thousand times, make a thousand mistakes, go through a thousand storms, if only to know that you'll go through it with me every step of the way. And I would very much like to do the same for you." She shook her head softly from side to side, making the veil quiver. "I honestly can't imagine a life without you."

Scorpius bit his lip to stop himself from kissing her right there and then. Rose had always had such an eloquent way of expressing herself. Scorpius, on the other hand…

"Rose," he said softly, "I've thought a lot about what I might say to you up here. In fact, over the past few months I've planned out a lot of heartfelt speeches – asking your parents for their permission and their blessing to ask for your hand in marriage, asking _you_ yourself for your hand in marriage –"

 _Twice_ , they both thought to themselves with sly smiles.

"– and neither of those went exactly how I'd planned." There were a few gentle laughs from the spectators. "So I've learnt from my mistakes," Scorpius said brightly, "and, kind of like our relationship has been, I'm going to be spontaneous, and perhaps a little bit reckless."

Rose cocked her head. Whether she was impressed or worried, Scorpius didn't know. But he cleared his throat and went on anyway.

"I've made a lot of mistakes in the past. I've not been the person I should have been at times, nor the person I wanted to be, and for whatever reason you didn't hold that against me. Maybe that's your fault," he said wickedly, "or maybe that's just my blessing. But either way, I'm incredibly grateful for it.

"I've also made a lot of promises," he went on cheerily, "which you have only just pointed out to me have been a little on the unachievable side of things. Which therefore means I've _broken_ a lot of promises to you. And once again, either by your failing, or my sheer dumb luck, you've never held that against me either.

"But I am here today to make a promise that it would be impossible for me to break. And I know it will, because even when I was stupid enough to think I could, I've never yet been able to. Rose," he gulped, "I love you. I really do. More than I ever thought was possible. Your love has brought glorious technicolour to my life – it's been there even in the darkest of times. And however our story goes from here, I know, and I promise, I will always, truly, completely, love you."

Rose didn't care that it wasn't the time to do so, nor that literally her entire family was watching; she flung herself into Scorpius' arms so forcefully that he nearly dropped the rings. Heart coursing with love for him, Rose kissed her not-quite-husband, taking him, and everybody in attendance, by great surprise.

There was a chorus of premature cheers and wolf-whistles from her friends in the front row. Rose broke the kiss, laughing, and holding onto the sides of his face.

Scorpius couldn't help but join in with her laughter. "I will always be temporarily obsessed with you," he murmured so only she could hear, an in-joke that nobody but them would understand. "Forever, that is."

Rose only laughed more, dying to kiss him again. But she restrained herself, clearing her throat awkwardly, casting an apologetic look to the spectators, now feeling rather self-conscious, and took her place again.

Both of them elated, the ceremony commenced. Rings were tenderly slid onto fingers, more vows were made, and then, to nobody's greater delight than that of Rose and Scorpius, those life-changing words were spoken.

"Rose and Scorpius, by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Scorpius, you may now kiss the bride."

"Again," James piped up from the front row.

This time Rose let Scorpius take the lead. To thunderous applause, neither of them quite taking in how real it all was, Scorpius took his bride into his arms, tilting her backwards ever so slightly, and kissed her, their first beautiful act as husband and wife.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:** It wouldn't be a ScoRose fic written by yours truly without a little Taylor Swift thrown in ;) A little bit in the vows was inspired by Taylor Swift's 'Mine' (and there was a teensy homage in the vows to my absolute favourite film 'Love, Rosie')_


	10. The Party

**Chapter 10 – The Party**

Rose and Scorpius were officially married.

The happy couple walked back down the aisle together in blissful wedded relief, hand in hand, the atmosphere around them buzzing with happiness and excitement from their loved ones. Neither could wipe the soppy grins from their faces.

Feeling like lovesick teenagers all over again, as soon as they burst through the doors they collapsed against the wall, dissolving into fits of giggles, alone for the first time as husband and wife.

"We did it," Scorpius murmured, pulling Rose back into his arms. "We actually did it."

"And now you're stuck with me for the rest of your life," Rose giggled, leaning into his chest.

"I could think of far worse fates."

Rose beamed up at him, her arms still tightly wrapped around him. Scorpius had been her boyfriend, her ex, her friend, and her fiancé, and now he was her husband. "Did my dad have the 'chat' with you?"

"Oh, yes," Scorpius recalled teasingly. "As did James."

"James? Really?"

"He felt, in the absence of an elder brother figure, he needed to be the one to assure me there'd be no end to my physical pain if I ever mess you around."

"How sweet of him," Rose teased.

Scorpius had twisted his fingers through Rose's, his other arm still cradling her waist. "I like this addition to your finger," he said, admiring the shiny new wedding band. Rose and Scorpius had opted for simple silver rings, no embellishments or fancy decorations. Instead, invisible to observers, two words were engraved into the inner curve of the bands. Scorpius' read _Forever_ , whilst Rose's read _Always._

"I'm rather fond of it too," Rose said coyly.

"And I like this dress."

Rose had quite forgotten Scorpius had never set eyes on her wedding dress. He hadn't been at any of the fittings, and Ebony had scared Rose into not letting Scorpius see it before the wedding. She'd agreed to uphold the superstition, purely out of fear that the wedding would be ruined if she didn't honour it.

The redheaded bride looked down at her dress with flattered pride. Like the rings, she'd opted for simplicity when it came to the dress. No fancy manipulations or embellishments, it was pure white duchess satin, A-line, with a fitted strapless bodice and a full, voluminous skirt, with the only slight extravagance being the train that trailed behind her.

"If you step on it whilst we're dancing…" Rose teasingly warned.

"Ah, no fear, I'm quite the dancer."

Anybody else would have thought he was joking, but Rose knew there was actually a lot of truth in Scorpius' words. She thought back to the night they'd met, at a Hogwarts ball during Fourth Year, and how he had taken her by pleasant surprise when he'd quite literally whisked her around the dancefloor, with ease and grace that most boys his age seemed to lack.

And to think, five years later, he'd be whisking her around the dancefloor again, as husband and wife. Rose wished she could see the excitement on her fifteen-year-old self's face if someone were to tell her that she'd one day be experiencing what the present day Rose was – her wedding to the forbidden boy. The boy her family had warned her about, had loathed and detested, and done everything in their power to keep them apart.

If somebody had told fifteen-year-old Rose that Ron would willingly and happily walk her down the aisle and give her away to Scorpius, Draco and Lucius Malfoy also in attendance, she would have laughed.

And yet, that is precisely what had just happened.

"Your grandparents," Rose said suddenly, as the memory surfaced. "I – I didn't know they were coming."

"Neither did I," Scorpius said, looking a little dazed himself. "I'm, err, I'm still trying to take that in."

And not only had Lucius Malfoy attended Rose and Scorpius' wedding, he had done so in complacent silence. He had not argued, protested, or tried to prevent it in any way. He had attended, then, because he wanted to? Because, despite their differences, he had wanted to be with his grandson on the most important day of his life and watch him get married?

Rose was not so convinced. But she didn't want her paranoia to play up on what had so far been a beautiful and happy day. So she accepted it for what it was. Or, at least, what it seemed to be.

But another memory surfaced, a more pleasant one, that made Rose smile. "The song," she said excitedly, beaming up at Scorpius with adoration again. "That was a surprise!"

Scorpius returned the smile and kissed the top of her veiled head. "Well, I had to do _something_ ," he teased. "And it seemed the only way to actually get my input in was to not tell you about it."

"It was beautiful," Rose praised. "I'm glad you didn't tell me. Maybe I should have let you help more…"

"Rose, honestly, the ceremony was perfect. I wouldn't change it in any single way."

It _had_ been perfect. Rose couldn't have been more delighted with the way it had turned out in the end. All that worrying for nothing!

"I'm sorry I kissed you before we'd finished the vows."

"Rose," Scorpius said in alarm, "don't _ever_ apologise for kissing me!"

"It was just… it was really beautiful – what you said."

"Yeah?" Scorpius looked flattered. "Well, you know, _sometimes_ I can say romantic things. I was going to make a joke and call you 'Freckles' but I don't think you'd have appreciated it."

"I wouldn't have."

Scorpius snorted, and soon enough Rose was dissolving into another fit of giggles. Scorpius pulled her into his arms again, both of them still laughing. He kissed her firstly on her forehead, then her nose, and finally her lips.

"Oi, oi," James' familiar voice piped up.

Rose and Scorpius opened their eyes, remaining in place but glaring at James with a sideways glance. He looked idiotically happy.

"Come on, we don't want to see this. Save it for tonight," he said with a wink and a nudge to Scorpius' arm.

James wasn't alone; the rest of the wedding guests were all starting to spill from the room. Rose was saddened that her stolen moment with Scorpius was over. They'd barely be alone for the rest of the day, not with wedding photographs and then the reception. But, she thought happily, she'd be spending the rest of her life with Scorpius, and they'd have many a private, stolen moment during that time.

Rose lowered herself from her tiptoes (kissing Scorpius was always a bit of a struggle when she was so much shorter than him), but kept her arms wrapped around her husband's waist, his hand gently cradling her back.

"Right, so, congratulations and stuff," James said to the couple. "Is the bar open yet?"

" _James,_ " Rose warned. But he was already gone.

"Sorry about that," Ebony sighed, shaking her head as she looked after her husband. "The ceremony was beautiful," she told the couple, smiling proudly. "Congratulations."

With a quick hug with both the bride and groom, she too was gone.

As Rose and Scorpius waited politely by the doors as their guests filtered out in a line, offering congratulations, hugs, and handshakes, they felt more united than ever.

Hermione had barely passed through the doors before she was throwing herself at her daughter, Ron loitering just behind. "It was beautiful," she insisted. "It was so beautiful. _You_ were beautiful, and the things you said – oh, they were beautiful. And –"

"Thanks, Mum," Rose interrupted, trying to move her along.

Hermione took a step back, laughing gently, and trying to regain her composure. "We're so proud of you. Of both of you," she said on behalf of her and her husband.

Ron nodded in agreement before stretching out a formal hand to Scorpius. The blond man took it gratefully. "Thank you, Sir," he said politely. "For everything you've done for me and Rose. I'm very much looking forward to spending my life with your charming daughter."

Scorpius could see Rose laughing out of the corner of his eye.

Ron shook his head, laughing himself. "I have told you, countless times, _not_ to call me 'Sir.'"

"Can I call you 'Dad' now?" Scorpius asked with a cheeky smile.

"Absolutely not."

"Fair enough."

Ron released his grip on Scorpius' hand and made to move on to his daughter. Hermione cleared her throat, stopping him before he could do so, and looked at him expectantly. Ron's smile dropped. Hermione raised her eyebrows.

Looking uncomfortable and defeated, Ron turned back to Scorpius, hesitated momentarily, and before either he or anybody else could think twice of it, pulled Scorpius into a bear hug and slapped him on the back.

It ended almost as abruptly as it had happened. "Welcome to the family," Ron said in a gruff, unimpressed voice, refusing to look Scorpius in the eye, before offering Rose a hasty kiss on her cheek and walking away from the couple without a single look back.

Hermione looked thrilled. "Have fun," she said excitedly before hurrying after her husband.

Scorpius was frozen in shock, whilst Rose actually doubled over with laughter.

"Rose, you're dad just hugged me. You're dad just _hugged_ me."

Rose struggled to say anything, wheezing in-between bouts of laughter. "Oh my gosh – you're face – and you – and he – and –"

Rose straightened up sharply, all traces of laughter gone from her face in a heartbeat. Draco Malfoy had just appeared through the doors. And he wasn't alone. Serephina was by his side, and just behind him, they were accompanied by his parents.

Draco gave his son a warm hug, even though the poor man looked just as scared as Rose did at the appearance of Lucius and Narcissa. "I'm really proud of you," Draco assured him. "And… I really think your mother would have been too." He spoke to Scorpius but looked at Rose, before offering her a gentle smile.

Rose returned it, but her heart wasn't it.

"You guys," Serephina said, like she was a proud mother.

Rose was taken aback by how tall Serephina had gotten. She was so used to seeing the girl as that delicate twelve-year-old she'd been when she'd first met her. Now at eighteen, Serephina was far taller and leggier than Rose, her trademark Malfoy hair swinging down to her hips.

"Nice one, bro," she said to Scorpius. "And welcome to the family, Rose!" she squealed.

Rose didn't feel at ease as Serephina flung her arms around her, peering over the younger girl's shoulder at the two people she was still terrified to meet. Lucius Malfoy seemed to have pressed his lips into an even tighter grimace at Serephina's talk of Rose being one of the family.

As she was released, Rose finally found herself, for the first time in her life, face to face with Lucius Malfoy. He looked down on her coldly, Narcissa offering a much more genuine and warm smile by his side.

The elderly couple oozed sophistication and wealth, a complete contrast to anything Rose had ever known within her own family. The way they were dressed – the way they held themselves – it was highly intimidating to the homely girl.

Scorpius had gone as white as paper, unsure how to address either of them.

"Scorpius," Lucius said in an emotionless drawl. Narcissa embraced her grandson, kissing his cheek. Scorpius did not break eye contact with his grandfather.

"You – you came?" he asked uncertainly.

Not that they'd ever discussed it, but Rose was certain Scorpius hadn't seen or talked to his grandparents in years. Or, at least, his grandfather.

Draco was lurking off to the side, watching his father like a hawk, ready to intervene if necessary. Serephina lolled by his side, inspecting her nails.

"Of course we did," Narcissa said kindly. "We wouldn't miss this for the world – our grandson getting married!"

"Indeed," Lucius said, a disconcerting smirk on his face. He was now looking at Rose. She felt his stare boring into her, as though penetrating her very soul.

Scorpius put a gentle but protective hand on the small of her back.

Lucius did not look away from Rose. And then, to her horror, he addressed her directly. "Rose Weasley," he said slowly, dragging out her name with what appeared to be amusement.

"Mr Malfoy, Sir," she said in a quiet voice, her lip trembling. She felt, all of a sudden, a compulsion to curtsy. She didn't, but shyly dropped her gaze, terrified to look him in the eye any longer.

"And will you be taking our family name?" he drawled.

It was not the question Rose had expected. She and Scorpius shared a bewildered look. "I, err, I haven't yet decided," she said. "Sir," she added for good measure.

And it was true. Rose hadn't pondered too much on whether she would take the Malfoys' name, or whether she would remain a Weasley. Was Lucius implying she couldn't?

"Interesting," was all he said, still looking down his nose at her.

Draco was starting to get agitated in the side lines. "Father, it would be an honour for Rose to become a Malfoy. Not that we would expect it of her," he added quickly, looking at Rose.

Lucius cocked his head to look at his son, that unnerving smirk still on his face. "I don't recall ever saying it wouldn't be, Draco."

Draco glared at his father, not wishing to cause an argument. "Good," he said firmly.

Lucius looked back to Rose, still with an air of nobility that patronised her to no end. He said nothing. His gaze rolled over to Scorpius. Taking them once more by surprise, he extended a gloved hand to his grandson. When Scorpius took it, a little tentatively, Lucius said, "Congratulations," with the grace of someone who might have actually meant it.

Scorpius cocked his head, as though expecting this might be a trick of sorts. When nothing more was said, and Lucius released his grip, he was more confused than ever. "Are you staying for the reception?" he asked stupidly, not sure how to handle the situation.

"Oh, no, dear," Narcissa answered on behalf of them. "We, ah, we have an engagement this evening, but we wanted to come to the ceremony at least."

Scorpius knew immediately, from the slight hesitance in Narcissa's apology, that she was lying about being busy that evening. Either Lucius did not want to be there, or Narcissa had recognised it would be uncomfortable for those also in attendance for the unexpected couple to be there. There were an awful lot of Weasleys, after all. Including Arthur, whom Lucius had never seen eye-to-eye with.

And yet, Scorpius was deeply moved that they'd both come to the ceremony. He did not feel completely at ease with his grandfather's supposedly calm demeanour with regards to the whole situation, and his uncharacteristic offer of congratulations, but how could he do anything but accept it? _Why_ would he do anything but accept it?

It was surreal, yes, and highly unnerving, but it seemed, for the most part, to be a blessing. Scorpius was not going to waste that moment of relief. He also respected the informed decision not to stay to the reception. "Thank you for coming," he said politely.

With a final nod of his head, and with his eyes rolling over Rose with that same penetrating gaze, Lucius Malfoy left the venue, his wife by his side.

Scorpius looked to his father for help – for any kind of explanation of what had just happened.

"I didn't know they were coming," Draco apologised, looking after where his parents had just left, with great discomfort. "I'm sorry."

"No… it's fine," Scorpius dismissed, still surprised that it really _had_ been fine. Rose was still frozen in shock by his side. He stroked her back soothingly, smiling down at her. "You alright?" he gently asked.

She nodded, still not blinking. "I think that was the scariest thing I've ever done."

"Ah, and now you know how I feel about every single interaction with your father."

"Oh Merlin, at least your grandfather didn't _hug_ me – I think the shock might have killed me!"

"I think the shock might have killed _him_ ," Scorpius laughed.

Even Draco was smiling. "I'll see you this evening," he said, dismissing himself to allow them to continue seeing guests out. Serephina followed him.

Next came the bridesmaids, Jinx, Lily, and the rest of the guys – Sam, Albireo, Albus, and, Rose noticed with an oddly painful lurch, Mason. The Gryffin-Girls had pulled her into a group hug, all squealing and laughing, before Rose could get too distracted.

"Congrats, Rosie!" Janey yelled with so much excitement that it made Rose's ears wring. Gwen and Taylor offered much more civil, calm congratulations, before moving on.

Albus came next, staring a little wistfully after the retreating girls. Rose couldn't understand why at first. She blinked in surprise.

Albus, noticing her curious and suspicious look, seemed to get riled up. "I _didn't_ sleep with her," he insisted.

Rose sighed and rolled her eyes in response, remembering now, one of the many shocking things she'd discovered last night. And her fierce order that Albus wasn't to repeat such an action on that night. "Albus –"

"I didn't!"

"I wasn't accusing you of," Rose laughed, finding it comical how defensive he'd gotten. "Honestly? I'm not going to pretend I understand any of this, and believe me, I _will_ be getting the truth out of Taylor as soon as possible, but, you know, if you really _do_ want to be with her –"

"I don't want to be with her," he said, horrified.

"Alright, sleep with her, whatever –"

"Rose!"

"Oh, come one, Albus, I'm trying to give you my blessing here!"

"I don't want it," he said sulkily.

"Alright," Rose relented, more confused than ever, but deeply amused by it all. "Well, thank you, at least, for letting me marry your best friend."

Albus looked at Scorpius then, with a look of sudden enlightenment about him. "That means we're officially related," he breathed.

He and Scorpius shared a sort of impressed, brotherly look with each other. Rose found it all rather sweet.

Mason did not linger. He shook hands with Scorpius politely, offered congratulations, and then gave a weak smile to Rose. Had she not had the conversation she'd had with him just over an hour ago, she would have hugged him.

But she didn't. She watched him sadly, too uncomfortable to return his forced smile. They said nothing to each other, that same emotional tension passing between them in silent communication. He eventually cleared his throat and nodded at her, before he too moved on to the other room.

After sharing warmer interactions with Sam, Jinx, and Albireo (Rose and Scorpius were both deeply impressed by the two latter's continued civility and respect towards each other), they found themselves face to face with the youngest Potter child.

Whereas Serephina had shot up in height, Lily remained shorter than Rose. But like the Malfoy girl, her red hair had grown down to her waist, making her look more like her mother than ever before. Rose's heart ached, just as it had done on her hen do, as it really sunk in how grown up Lily was. No longer that pixie-like little girl, she was an adult. She was a woman.

"It was as beautiful as it was all those years ago when I first saw it," Lily told them fondly, referring to her prophetic vision of the wedding. Lily had known, longer than any of them, that Rose and Scorpius would one day tie the knot. She had known even before Rose and Scorpius had officially met.

"Really?" Rose asked breathlessly.

"And you're not at all indignant to who the bride turned out to be?" Scorpius teased.

Lily rolled her eyes. When she had first foreseen the wedding she had misinterpreted the redheaded bride as being herself, thinking _she_ was destined to marry Scorpius. It had led to a series of confusing and complicated events.

But that was all in the past now.

"Honestly, I couldn't be happier with how things turned out," Lily assured them both.

"Do you think things would have worked out the same way?" Rose suddenly asked, looking at Scorpius with curiosity. "If Lily hadn't ever intervened with the love potion – if the whole world hadn't been against us – would we have fallen in love as much as we did? Would we have gotten married?"

"Definitely not," Scorpius said.

Rose rolled her eyes at his smirk, lightly punching him on the arm.

"Nah," he assured her, "I'm pretty sure, whatever the circumstances would have been, we'd have ended up together. I don't know about you, but I was always destined to fall in love with you."

Rose stared up at him lovingly, reaching out a hand to cradle one side of his face, their eyes locked in a tender gaze.

"Do you want me to leave?" Lily snorted.

"Yes," Scorpius said, at the same time as Rose said, "No, of course not!" immediately withdrawing her hand.

"Yeah, well, I need to get drunk anyway," Lily said.

"Lily, it's the middle of the afternoon!"

"So?" she asked with a shrug. "Everybody else is."

Rose didn't doubt that.

"Aren't you… worried, though?" Lily asked her cousin, dropping her voice to a low and serious tone.

Rose was taken aback. "About what?"

Lily widened her eyes as though trying to convey something. "About… tonight," she said uncomfortably. "The – the reception."

Why, because everybody was going to be getting drunk? No, Rose thought with deep amusement, she was over that. In fact, she probably wanted to get a little tipsy herself. She was no longer worried about her wedding being a disaster; so far it had gone beautifully, and she was happier than ever.

It took only a second longer for Rose to truly see the horror in Lily's eyes, before it hit her. It was like someone had flicked a switch within her, all that banished anxiety and paranoia suddenly flooding back in.

 _Someone is going to die at your wedding._

Rose had forgotten; she had forgotten somebody was destined to _die_ that night. How could she have let herself get so distracted?

She turned to Scorpius with a look of desperate longing. He must have realised at the same time.

"Rose, it will be fine," he said in a soothing voice.

"But Scorpius –"

"It will be _fine_ ," he said again, looking meaningfully at Rose and then at Lily. "Please, both of you just enjoy this evening. In spite of everything else that's happened, the wedding has been a success so far. Don't let this worry prevent you from truly enjoying it."

"Scorpius," Lily trembled, "I know what I saw."

"And I'm telling you – both of you – whatever happens tonight will happen whether we worry about it or not. We will deal with any problem that occurs when it happens. Do _not_ dwell on it until that time."

Rose released the breath she'd been holding. He was right; she knew he was right. But the worry still haunted her. How could it not?

It had been such a beautiful day. In spite of all her trivial worries about it all, and even with the problems that _had_ occurred (which she now realised weren't _really_ problems at all), she had truly had a lovely, memorable day – one that she would cherish forever.

But not if one of her loved ones died.

How could she enjoy the honeymoon, how could she enjoy _marriage_ , if the start was marked by a terribly tragic event? The day would be ruined, no matter how beautiful it had been up until that point. Scorpius surely had to understand that.

"There's nothing we can do," he said weakly, as though sensing Rose's thoughts. "Please, _please_ , don't let it get to you." He twisted his fingers back through hers like he had done before. "For me?"

Rose focused on both the engagement ring and the new addition of the wedding band, held up in front of her, catching the light. "You can only use that once throughout our whole marriage," she said playfully.

"What?"

"The 'do it for me' card."

"Once?" Scorpius echoed. "Ah, come on, ten times at least. You know I'll need them."

"Twice."

"Five times."

" _Fine._ "

"Okay, but that's in addition to this one, right?"

She rose up onto her tiptoes in order to kiss him on the cheek. "We'll see. Use them wisely."

* * *

Evening descended upon the hotel. True to her word, Rose had done her best to enjoy the day, pushing certain worries as far from her mind as possible. But every now and again they'd creep back in, surfacing to the front of her mind before she could stop them. For five minutes she'd be in a blind state of panic, eyes obsessively darting around the ballroom for signs of danger, and to check the men closest to her seemed to be safe and thriving.

And then she'd get sucked back into the joyous atmosphere of the evening, champagne flowing, people laughing, dancing, and generally having a good time. Only to have that sudden worry surface once more, in which she'd go through the whole routine again.

It was a vicious cycle.

"Dance with me," Scorpius ordered, appearing out of nowhere, realising his bride was about to start freaking out again.

"There're only so many times that will work," she laughed. But she allowed him to pull her into the centre of the room anyway, holding her as tenderly as he had done when they'd been teenagers. Staring into his eyes, and blissfully swaying to the music, put her at ease immediately.

The reception had only just begun. Or rather, the party bit of the reception. They'd had the photographs, the meal, the speeches, and the first dance. (Rose had thrown the bouquet to the eager unwed women. Janey had caught it without even trying, realised in horror what had just happened, and dropped it to the floor like it was a bomb). Everything had gone smoothly.

 _Too_ smoothly.

"Just relax," Scorpius advised.

"You _say_ that, but –"

"Rose, look at me. Do I have to drag you back to the bridal suite again?"

"Not just yet, Scorpius," she chastised. "Have some class."

"No, no, not like that," he laughed. "I mean, do I have to sit you back down on the bed again, pour you some scotch, kiss you, and tell you to calm down?"

"That depends on what your intentions are," she said, raising her eyebrows with a smirk. "Last time you did that I ended up taking my top off."

"Rose, I'm not trying to rush you into bed," Scorpius insisted, trying to act serious despite the laughter he was suppressing. "Unless, you know, you think that _would_ calm you down. In which case I'm definitely not going to _not_ do everything in my power to help you."

"If we disappear, everyone will _know._ "

"Rose, it's our wedding night, everybody is _expecting_ it," he reminded her.

"Oh Merlin," she said in disgust, realising it was true. "That's so awkward… You know what would be fun though?" she asked excitedly.

"What?"

"If we _didn't_."

"Please tell me you're joking…"

"Why?" she challenged. "Would you love me any less if I suddenly told you I wanted to have a celibate marriage?"

"No," Scorpius gulped, suddenly horrified that she wasn't joking. "But," he said slowly, "I've heard it's actually very healthy for married couples to, ah, be intimate every single day…"

"Really?" she snorted. "From who?"

Scorpius paused momentarily. "James."

"Ah," she humoured. "You get all your bedroom advice from my cousin?"

"Oh my God," Scorpius said suddenly, looking over her shoulder in horror, and dropping Rose's hold.

"Scorpius, I was joking," Rose said in alarm as he made to walk away from her.

"Oh my _God_ ," he growled, his look of horror morphing into one of vicious anger.

Rose gathered up the skirt of her wedding dress in order to follow him. Recognising his sudden horror and aggression was concentrated on someone behind her, or some event that might have been unfolding, she feared the worst.

"What? What?" she asked shrilly. "What is it?"

 _It was happening, it was happening, it was happening. This was it; someone was about to die._

Rose hurried after her husband, he himself briskly marching towards the commotion. Her eyes darted around the ballroom in a panic, struggling to identify just _where_ the commotion was, exactly. But nothing seemed to have changed.

Guests were still laughing, chatting, drinking, dancing – everybody as relaxed and content as they had been before.

No, Rose realised, Scorpius hadn't identified who was about to die; he was just heading for the bar. Although very determinedly, at that. Had she really offended him that much?

"Scorpius, I'm sorry," she pleaded, still hurrying after him, struggling to manoeuvre the skirts of her dress by herself. "I'm sure you're a much better lover than James!"

"Excuse me?" the man himself asked, spinning around on his heel as she rushed past. Ebony, Janey, and Sam, who had all been engaged in conversation with him, turned to look at her in surprise.

Rose ignored them, intent on catching up to Scorpius as he approached the bar. "Scorpius, I –"

But she stopped, both vocally and physically, as she saw whom was at the bar, immediately understanding Scorpius' abrupt hostility. "What are _you_ doing here?" he growled.

Rose was deeply surprised. She had not seen Deneb Jacobson in around three years, and she had certainly not invited him to her wedding.

He had always been of the dark, brooding, and mysterious persona, charming both physically and in his manner, capturing, and often discarding, the hearts of many young girls who had been shallow enough to get sucked in by the façade he used. Rose was ashamed to admit she'd once been one of them.

He had always been classically handsome, in a very obvious, very manly sort of way, and the maturity of three years had done wonders to deepen this. But Rose knew better.

Slytherin, the year above Rose and Scorpius, Deneb Jacobson was a snake of a man. Scorpius had deeply loathed him during their shared time at Hogwarts, despite both playing for the Slytherin Quidditch team, his hatred deepening after Deneb's excessive attempts to win over both Rose and Ebony, both of whom Scorpius was deeply protective.

But both girls were not so blind to his nature. Rose had been incredibly flattered when she'd first met Deneb at fifteen years old (a few months after she'd met Scorpius, in fact), sucked in by his charm, just as countless other girls had been before and after her. But his appeal had instantly faded the moment Scorpius had intervened, revealing him for what he was.

In fact, Rose thought coyly, it had been Deneb's attempt to charm Rose that had been the boost Scorpius had needed to ask her to be his girlfriend, following several months of flirtatious interaction and a beautiful first kiss.

Rose had even briefly considered dating Deneb as a revenge tactic when Scorpius had broken up with her to be with Ebony. She hadn't, of course. Since that first night, she had never seen him as anything than what he really was. A heartless user. A _snake._

Ebony too, was an incredibly smart girl. Despite his frequent attempts to seduce her, Ebony had always been immune to the 'Deneb effect.'

Done with reminiscing, Rose was suddenly brought back to the present. She was at her wedding reception. Deneb Jacobson was casually sat at the bar, enjoying a drink with Serephina Malfoy by his side. Who, Rose noted, looked furious at her brother's intrusion.

 _Oh no_ , Rose thought. It all clicked into place.

Deneb was coolly and calmly smirking at Scorpius. "I'm having a drink –"

"Like hell, you are," Scorpius growled, roughly grabbing hold of Deneb's collar, dragging him from the barstool.

"Scorpius!" Rose shrieked, as Serephina leapt down from her own barstool, also shrieking.

Scorpius released Deneb, giving him a rough shove. The two men stared each other down, as other guests started to notice the disturbance. _Oh my God,_ Rose suddenly thought. Was Scorpius going to kill Deneb? Although, admittedly, she'd find his death highly preferable to someone she actually cared about, she did _not_ want her husband of less than twenty-four hours to be a murderer.

"Were you going to mention to me that you invited _him?"_ Scorpius demanded, turning his anger on Rose.

"I didn't invite him!" she protested.

"Well, who did? Because I sure as hell didn't, and if you –"

" _I_ did, you psycho!" Serephina yelled at her brother.

Scorpius looked at her sharply, too confused for it to fully piece together. "What?"

"He's my plus-one for the reception," she explained calmly, though there was fury burning in her eyes.

"Your…? You… _what?"_

"I invited Deneb," Serephina said impatiently, folding her arms. "He's my date for the evening. Alright?"

"N-no," Scorpius stuttered, eyes darting confusedly between his angry little sister and the boy, the _man_ , he hated, who was lurking just behind her with a triumphant sort of smirk. " _Date?_ " he spat, like it was a dirty word. "Serephina, do you even know him? When have you and Deneb Jacobson _ever_ –"

"Of course I do," Serephina interrupted, rolling her eyes.

"B-but – but you – and him – and – _why?_ Why would you ever – I mean – what could you possibly –"

"Scorpius, please," Rose whispered, finding his aggravated stuttering embarrassing. Oh Merlin, it was _obvious_. But if Scorpius hadn't twigged… Well, Rose didn't want to be the one to tell him.

"No!" Scorpius yelled, still glaring at Serephina and Deneb, even though it had been Rose who'd interrupted him. "This is _my_ wedding, and he is not welcome, and I don't… I don't understand why you and him are even –"

"Isn't it obvious?" Deneb scoffed, greatly enjoying how much he was getting under his rival's skin.

Serephina shot him a glare that let him know he wasn't helping. "Scorpius," she said irritably, turning back to her brother, "stop being so childish about this. Honestly."

"About _what?"_ he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"The nature of mine and Deneb's" – she gulped – "relationship."

Scorpius' eyes very visibly widened.

 _I think Serephina has a boyfriend… She's been acting really strange and elusive recently. She's always sneaking around, and she keeps trying to avoid me – like she's hiding something._

Rose dropped her head into hands, anticipating the rage her husband was about to fly into. Is this what it felt like to be her mother? Every time Ron had kicked off at Rose about Scorpius when they were younger?

" _WHAT?"_ he roared. "Serephina," he said in a dangerous voice.

Rose grabbed hold of his arm as he made to advance. " _Scorpius,"_ she hissed.

Scorpius ignored her, but didn't take another step, instead concentrating all of his fury into glaring at his sister. "You are seriously telling me that you – that you and _him_ are – are? He's four years older than you!" he accused. "You don't even know him!"

"I'm eighteen, Scorpius," Serephina reminded him with a challenging tone. "And I _do_ know him. Very well."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Scorpius demanded.

"And it's not like I haven't dated before!"

" _What?_ Who?" Scorpius demanded. "Who have you dated before? I want names."

"Listen here, Malfoy –"

"GET OUT!" Scorpius roared, positively furious that Deneb had had the nerve to address him. "You are _not_ welcome here."

"You're such an _arse_ ," Serephina screamed at him. "After how supportive I was of you!"

"That's different," Scorpius dismissed. "Believe me, Serephina, I _know_ Deneb. He's only using you to get back at me. He doesn't care about you!"

"You don't know the first thing about him!"

"Oh, and I suppose _you_ do?"

"As a matter of fact –"

"GET. _OUT,"_ Scorpius roared again, appalled that Deneb was even still there.

"Fine," Serephina huffed, turning to leave.

"Scorpius, she's your sister!" Rose said to him, appalled. "Are you seriously going to turn her away from your own wedding?"

"If she insists on remaining with him – who is _not_ welcome – then maybe I don't want her here."

Deneb looked unfazed, still glaring at Scorpius from behind Serephina. "Come on, Seffie."

" _Don't_ call her that," Scorpius said agitatedly, lurching forwards.

Rose knew she wouldn't be able to restrain Scorpius by herself. Fortunately she didn't have to, as Draco Malfoy came skidding over to the commotion. "What's going on here?" he demanded.

"Serephina is _dating_ this arsehole –"

" _Scorpius!"_ Rose yelled again, mortified.

Draco turned to look at the 'arsehole' his son had just ungracefully introduced as Serephina's boyfriend, with an air of curiosity and slight amusement. Deneb's expression remained stone cold, like he was not the slightest bit intimidated or embarrassed.

Unlike Ron, Draco seemed to be civil and accepting at the sudden news that his daughter was dating. Especially considering Scorpius had introduced him so unfavourably.

"We were just leaving," Serephina said, with a cold look to her brother. "We know when we're not welcome."

" _You_ are welcome," Scorpius said. "He, on the other hand, is not. And if you insist on staying with him –"

"Which I do."

"– then you can _both_ get out."

"Scorpius," Draco said condemningly, like his son was still a little boy and not a fully grown man. "I really don't think there's any need for this. You can't just kick out your sister and her… _friend_ ," he said delicately.

Rose found it amusing how Scorpius seemed to have a bigger problem with Serephina dating than Draco did. But then again, Draco didn't know Deneb to the same degree.

"If you turn Serephina and Deneb away then I'm leaving too," Rose piped up brightly.

Scorpius paled. "Rose…"

"Oh, no, I'm being deadly serious," she told him. "I'll go home and watch a film or something. You can have fun tonight by yourself."

"Rose, it's our wedding," he said sulkily.

"Then don't kick your sister out! We gave everybody a plus-one option for the evening; you can't tell her who she can and can't bring."

"Yes, but I didn't know she was bringing _Deneb_."

"If I'd told you then I knew you'd flip out," Serephina said through gritted teeth. "I _thought_ , at least, by the evening you'd be so happy, or drunk or whatever, that you just wouldn't notice."

"I'm happy," he said indignantly.

"Good. That's settled then." Rose slipped her hand into Scorpius' in order to lead him away. "Thank you for coming," Rose said sweetly to both Deneb and Serephina. "Scorpius and I really appreciate it. Enjoy the evening."

Serephina flashed a smile of gratitude at her new sister-in-law.

Scorpius was still sulking, but he allowed Rose to lead him away without protest. "Keep your hands off my sister," he said as a final warning to Deneb before fully turning away.

Neither he nor Rose said anything until they were as far away from the bar as possible, the most quiet and secluded corner of the ballroom. When they came to a stop, Rose just raised her eyebrows at him, like a teacher scolding a disruptive student.

"Deneb Jacobson," Scorpius said weakly, almost apologetically. "I didn't know it was _him_ she was dating."

"And do you honestly think she would have told you? Scorpius, you can't blame her for keeping this to herself given the way you just overreacted to it."

"Do you think I'm wrong?" Scorpius asked incredulously. "It would be different if he was just some random guy, but he's not, Rose, this is _Deneb._ We both know what he's like…"

"That's true," Rose said calmly, "but neither of us has seen him in three years. Serephina's a smart girl, Scorpius; he might be different now."

"People like him don't just change, Rose. He is using Serephina to get to _me._ He doesn't genuinely care for her – he doesn't care for any of the girls he has flings with. I'm not having my little sister just be some name on a list! Especially not _his_ list."

"Just give him a chance, Scorpius," Rose begged. "He might genuinely be making her happy. He might genuinely be committing this time. You have to give him the benefit of the doubt, if only for Serephina's sake."

Rose wasn't one hundred percent convinced Deneb's intentions were strictly honourable, but she really didn't want to encourage Scorpius. It did seem incredibly surprising for Serephina and Deneb to be involved. They hadn't even been in the same house; she had no idea how they might have met, let alone started dating.

"It's revenge," Scorpius insisted. "Because he couldn't have you, and he couldn't have Ebony, and I had both of you, and now this is the _one_ thing he can still take from me."

"Excuse me?" Rose said coolly, folding her arms.

"I know, I know," he said, realising his mistake. "I didn't mean 'I have you' as in 'I own you' or…" Scorpius trailed off miserably, thinking about what Ron had said to him just before he and Rose had gotten married. What a great start he was making as a husband…

"Deneb brings out the worst in you," Rose said sympathetically. "That's understandable. And I don't know what his intentions are, but if you let it show that he's getting to you then he's winning, alright? If that's the trap he's laid then all you've done is walk straight into it."

"But Serephina's going to get hurt," he gulped. "I can't just let him mess her around."

"Serephina is her own woman, Scorpius. Even if it is a mistake, it is _her_ mistake to make."

"Do you think they're sleeping together?" he asked sharply.

"Oh, Scorpius, I don't know," Rose sighed. "Why don't you ask her?" she asked sarcastically.

Scorpius shifted his weight uncomfortably. "Can you?"

"No," she scoffed. "How would you like it if she asked me about _our_ private life?"

"Yeah, but –"

"No, Scorpius," Rose gently laughed, running a soothing hand up his chest, and leaning into him. "Don't let Deneb spoil our night, okay? It's our wedding. _Enjoy_ it."

"I could never live with myself if he hurt her though…"

"Oh Merlin, I know you don't want me to say it but you sound _exactly_ like my father right now. You've been in Deneb's shoes, Scorpius – everybody questioning your intentions and your morality. And look at us now," she said in a proud, soothing voice.

"It's not the same," Scorpius dismissed sulkily.

Rose started to laugh. "Is this what it's been like the whole time for you with me?" she asked. "The wedding, I mean. With me overreacting and getting worked up in public about stupid little things. Only, instead of me this time, it's _you._ "

Despite his continuing feelings of worry and resentment, Scorpius broke out into a smile. "Of course not, sweetheart," he said sarcastically, finally responding to her embrace, and resting a hand on her back.

"Oh, wow, and you _still_ married me?"

"It was a struggle," he teased.

"So anyway, do _I_ need to sit you down on the bed in the bridal suite, give you some scotch, kiss you, and get you to calm down?" she teased. "Or are you going to act civil now and enjoy yourself?"

"That depends… Will you take your top off again?"

"Scorpius, if I take this dress off it's never going back on."

"Is that a promise?"

"We've got to get through this evening first," she jokingly scolded, clutching at his lapels in order to straighten them and smooth them down. "Why don't we get a drink?" she suggested.

Scorpius had to admit, perhaps the numbing haze of alcohol would help keep his mind from wandering to thoughts of Deneb and his little sister. He was a little embarrassed as they made their way to the bar, to think that after all he'd insisted Rose keep calm and stop being so dramatic, he'd gone and done exactly the same thing. He resolved to try and follow his own advice – remain calm; enjoy the evening.

"HEY, GUYS!" James yelled enthusiastically, as they approached the bar. Rose and Scorpius were both relieved that Deneb and Serephina had moved on elsewhere.

"James" – Rose cleared her throat – "exactly how much have you had to drink?"

He waved his hand in an exaggerated movement. "I'm feeling really _good_ ," he told them loudly.

"Yes," Scorpius said, amused, "we can see. But that doesn't really answer the question, does it?"

"It wasn't my fault," Ebony groaned from his other side. "I tried to stop him, I really did, but he –"

"Ebony, it's fine," Rose laughed. "Just so long as he doesn't throw up on my dress.

James burped loudly.

"I'm so lucky," Ebony said drily.

As they left to go dance, Rose noticed Gwen, Sam, Lily, Mason, Janey, Jinx and Albireo (who were actually still tolerating each other remarkably well), and Taylor and Albus (who were avoiding looking at each other at all costs) were all gathered around the bar too.

"Can I sing yet, Rose?" Janey asked eagerly.

"I… I'm not sure I ever agreed that you _could_ sing, Janey," Rose said slowly.

The blonde girl frowned, confused. "I'm a West End star," she reminded her. "I'm the closest thing to a celebrity you'll ever know. Do you know how many people would _kill_ to have me sing at their wedding?"

Rose thought she was exaggerating a bit, but she daren't point this out to Janey.

"Me and Janey can do a duet," Jinx said excitedly.

"Ohmygosh, _yes_ ," Janey agreed, she and her half-sister sharing a look of thrilled delight.

"Janey, Jinx," Rose began, desperately thinking of a way she could convince the duo _not_ to take the stage on what she didn't want to be a drunken shambles of a night, "I really don't think –"

"Rose, Scorpius," a female voice greeted from behind Rose.

The bride turned around, grateful for the intervention, but stopped when she saw just who the voice belonged to. "Isabella…?" she said slowly, recognising the raven-haired girl as one of the Ravenclaw Prefects in her year group, and whom she distinctly remembered deciding _not_ to invite. "I, ah, I didn't know you were coming."

"You sent me an invite," the girl said in confusion.

Rose turned to Scorpius with wide eyes. He looked sheepish. "Right," she said cheerily, turning back to offer the girl a false smile. "I'm so glad you could make it. And, oh," she exclaimed, falsely cheery, noticing the boy by her side "you brought Henry too…"

"Oh, no, I was invited too," Isabella's brother (fellow Ravenclaw Prefect) explained.

To Rose's further horror, the former Hufflepuff Prefects emerged from behind them too – Annabel and Tom.

"Annabel," Albus spluttered, falling off of his barstool. Taylor glared at him.

"Hi, Albus," Annabel said shyly, tucking a strand of her dark red hair behind her ear. A hand, Rose recognised, that was bearing an engagement ring of its own.

Rose felt her heart sink for her cousin. Annabel was his ex-girlfriend, after all, and seeing her engaged (if he'd even picked up on it yet) had to sting. Rose didn't know the details of his and Annabel's split, but it had been well over a year and a half now. Still, as far as she was aware, they had ended it mutually, and on generally good terms.

"Well," Janey piped up, drink in hand, "isn't this _nice?_ Like a Prefects reunion."

Janey was right, Rose realised. Isabella and Henry for Ravenclaw, Annabel and Tom for Hufflepuff, Scorpius and Ebony for Slytherin, and Sam and Janey for Gryffindor – all of the Prefects from their year group were there. Rose daren't even look at Scorpius, knowing he was responsible. She had expressly told him _not_ to invite them.

Isabella looked down her nose at the seated girl, her lips pursed.

 _Oh, no_ , Rose groaned internally. Isabella and Janey even in the same room was never a good idea, but Isabella, Janey, Sam, _and_ Henry all together again? It was a recipe for disaster. Annabel and Tom were pleasant enough people, but Rose had known it would be awkward for Albus to invite his ex. _Why_ had Scorpius thought this was a good idea?

"Sam," Isabella greeted smugly, her eyes lighting up with a sort of vindictive delight as she identified her ex-boyfriend next to Janey. To Rose's knowledge, no one in attendance particularly liked Isabella. "You two are still together?" she asked patronisingly.

"Yes," Janey said through gritted teeth, already seething. Sam looked deeply uncomfortable by her side.

" _Really?"_ Isabella asked. "Seriously – for that long?"

"As a matter of fact," Janey said smugly, slamming her drink down onto the bar, "Sam and I are –"

Jinx slapped a hand down onto Janey's left hand, impulsively shielding the engagement ring. She widened her eyes at her half-sister in warning, at which Janey frowned and looked sulky. Jinx turned back to Isabella, hand still clasped on Janey's. "Sexually active," she finished sweetly.

Albus spat out the sip of his drink he'd taken, whilst everybody else turned to stare at Jinx in horror, nobody looked more horrified than Sam and Janey themselves.

"Congratulations," Isabella said drily. "I think I'll get a drink…"

As she went to order, the other new arrivals following her lead, everybody remaining broke into conversation.

"What the _hell_ was that?" Janey hissed, shoving off Jinx's hand.

"You couldn't tell her you were engaged, you idiot."

"And that was the best alternative you could come up with? _Sexually active?"_ Janey demanded.

"What else was I supposed to say?"

"Literally anything!"

"I don't like this," Sam announced, looking awkward. "This is weird…" He turned to Rose accusingly. "Why did you invite Isabella and Henry to the reception?"

"Yeah, and why did you invite Annabel?" Albus piped up furiously.

"I didn't!" Rose insisted. "I made the informed decision _not_ to invite each and every one of them." She glared at Scorpius. "Care to explain?"

"Look," he began, incredibly sheepish, "I'll admit, I kind of forgot I sent them invites until just now…"

"Why did you even invite them without telling me?" Rose spluttered. "We talked about it, Scorpius – we decided not to!"

" _You_ decided not to," he mumbled.

"What?"

"Look," he sighed, "it's just, after we talked about the invitations, I realised I had hardly anybody coming for _me._ I mean, other than my dad, my sister, and my grandparents – who we didn't actually expect to turn up – everybody else was for _you._ Or, you know, _us._ "

"Scorpius," Rose said incredulously, "have you even talked to these people in two years?"

"No…"

Looking back on it, Scorpius wasn't sure he'd thought it all the way through. He was certain part of the reason he'd gone against what Rose had wanted was because, in that moment, he'd been feeling left out and therefore vindictive. He'd honestly forgotten, almost the following day after sending the invites, that he'd even done it.

"You invited my ex-girlfriend?" Albus asked, hitting Scorpius' arm with the back of his hand, making a satisfying slapping sound.

Scorpius winced and rubbed at his arm. "She's my… friend," he defended.

"Okay, what's her last name?"

Scorpius looked from Albus' angry glare to Rose's, to Sam's, to Janey's, chose to ignore everybody else's perturbed looks, sighed, and said, "Okay, I might have made a mistake."

"You think?" Janey asked nastily.

"No, it's fine," Rose cut in, immediately feeling sorry for Scorpius with everybody ganging up on him, herself included. "They're here now – there's nothing we can do. And really, it's not going to be a problem for anybody, is it?"

Janey opened her mouth.

"Just because you dislike Isabella _doesn't_ mean she's a problem," Rose sighed. "I mean, sure, she's irritating, but just ignore her. It's been two years, Janey, really."

"She's the reason Sam and I couldn't be together," Janey protested.

"Janey, _you're_ the reason you and Sam couldn't be together," Rose said. "You and your stubborn refusal to admit you fancied the hell out of him…"

Janey just glared at her in response, pouting but not denying.

"Err, _I_ have a problem!" Albus said irritably.

"What?" Rose sighed.

"My ex-girlfriend is here!"

"And why is she your ex-girlfriend, Albus?" Taylor asked sweetly. He shot daggers at her. "Is it perhaps because you ran off to –"

"It was mutual," he cut across.

Rose cursed internally. She'd been certain she was about to get some intel on the whole sordid affair.

But Taylor was far from done with her taunting. "If it was mutual then why is it so uncomfortable for you and her to be here together?"

"Does it matter?" Scorpius sighed, much to Rose's frustration; she'd actually wanted to hear what Albus might say. "Just stay away from her? I mean, she seemed perfectly polite about it all."

" _Maybe_ ," Taylor went on, "the problem isn't Annabel at all. Maybe the problem is Albus and his inability to –"

"I'm getting a drink," Albus said impatiently, once more cutting Taylor short. Before turning to join the queue, he stopped, a smirk spreading out. "In fact, I think I'll get Isabella a drink…"

Taylor frowned.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Albus," she said in a warning voice, "don't even think about it…"

"What?" he asked, falsely innocent.

"Don't you dare think about trying to sleep with Isabella."

"Why not?" he asked. "Who would I be hurting if I did?" He looked pointedly at Taylor, trying to taunt her. She didn't bite back, but looked away, head held high, silently seething.

" _Me,_ " Rose replied. "We really don't need to involve Isabella in our lives again, and I'll never forgive you if you inflict that fate upon us."

"But –"

"Consider it a wedding gift," she said sweetly.

"Yeah, you didn't get us anything else," Scorpius said under his breath.

Albus looked agitated at their assertions, either about to protest, concede, or else try and bargain with them. But he didn't. Suddenly, whether Albus and Isabella would hook up that night, how Taylor would feel about the situation, and any grievances Rose and Scorpius might have, couldn't have mattered less.

There was a piercing female scream from amidst the dancers, from the very centre of the ballroom, followed by what sounded like a collision, and then a deafening crash. Everybody gathered around the bar leapt into action, Rose and Scorpius at the forefront of the panicked dash to the commotion.

Having gotten so distracted, first by Deneb's unexpected appearance, and then the arrival of the Prefects, Rose had not thought of the deathly prediction in some time. She did not have time to curse at herself for having been foolish enough to let her guard down so drastically, for that dreaded rush of fear and alarm had captivated her body once more, this time to an almost unbearable peak.

 _This was it_ – she knew it this time. _This time it was actually happening._

But there was no time to dwell. Rose found Scorpius' hand, and together they ran. Even he, as dismissive as he'd been, had paled to a deathly pallor.

Dancing couples parted as the group skidded into the clearing that had been made, panicked looks on everybody's faces as they all clamoured to see what exactly had happened. And as wedding guests all hurried to gather around, Rose pushed her way through to the centre, fearful of what she'd find there.

James was lying flat on his back, a disgruntled looking Ebony sprawled half on top of him, both of them looking worse for wear, and surrounded by shattered glass and flower petals. Both looked a little startled, Ebony looking particularly embarrassed, but both had wide eyes and were very much _alive._

"What happened?" Rose asked shrilly, eyes roaming over what looked like a crime scene.

"It wasn't my fault," Ebony said desperately, trying to push herself to her feet, whilst James just groaned, pushing some of the glass out of his hair. His own glasses had slipped from his face, twisted and shattered from the collision with the floor, and his hair was even more ruffled than normal.

 _But he was breathing_ , Rose assured herself. That assurance did nothing to calm her though. She lifted her eyes to look around the gathering.

 _I could clearly see you and Scorpius, and you were definitely wearing a white dress and a veil._

 _There was a huge crowd of people all gathered around something – like I said, it was a ballroom-type-room, and everybody was dressed up all fancy – I couldn't see a lot of people's faces though, because they had their backs to me. I could see you though, and I could see Scorpius on one side, and Aunt Hermione on the other._

 _Everybody was gathered around, all looking down at something – or someone – on the floor. I couldn't see who, because there were so many people – but everybody looked really sincere and shocked._

 _And then your mum spoke, in a really quiet, serious voice: 'He's dead.'_

Rose subconsciously tightened her grip on Scorpius' arm, perhaps to stop herself from falling to the floor, but he didn't seem to mind. In her white dress and veil, stood in the ballroom, everybody dressed up, all looking down at someone on the floor…

Hermione was nowhere to be seen.

 _Not James, not James, not James_ , Rose begged of a God she wasn't sure she believed in.

Other than a few slight differences – Hermione's absence, and the fact that everybody appeared to be breathing and alive – this was _exactly_ what Lily had described in her prophetic vision. If it had not happened yet, then it was about to…

Bobbin and Roberts burst into the clearing. "Ebony, are you alright?" Bobbin shrieked, whilst Cepheus pulled his daughter-in-law to her feet.

Ebony smiled at him gratefully, brushing a few shards of glass off of her dress. There was no blood anywhere in sight, and no signs of scarring or wounds of any sort on either James or Ebony. "I'm fine," she insisted.

And she truly appeared to be. Rose glanced down nervously at James, who just looked very bewildered by it all. Nobody tried to help him to his feet.

Still, it did not put Rose's troubled mind at ease. Someone was going to die. And soon, at that. She did not want it to be her cousin. She did not want it to be _anyone._

If no one was wounded, it was not apparent how the death would occur. Nobody's life was being threatened, and that made Rose deeply uncomfortable. What was going to happen? What could possibly go so fatefully wrong in that situation that meant someone was going to lose their life?

"What happened?" Scorpius urged, repeating Rose's earlier question.

"I – we were dancing," Ebony explained. "James is very drunk…"

She looked down at her husband with mild discomfort. Everybody followed her gaze. The shock of whatever had happened seemed to have sobered James Potter, if only by a little bit. He just looked incredibly confused as to how he'd suddenly ended up on the floor. Perhaps he was concussed, Rose thought.

 _Well, that had to be better than being dead._

"Hugo, go get James a glass of water," Rose instructed her younger brother. He departed obligingly.

"And, you know, he's very enthusiastic as it is – I mean, you know what he's like –"

"Ebony, get to the point," Rose ordered impatiently.

"Right. So yeah, we were dancing, and he got a bit carried away and we ended up crashing into one of those big, glass, decoration things –"

She nodded to one of the other objects in question – a beautiful ornamental column made of glass, on which the decorative flowers were displayed. There were about twelve or so placed around the ballroom.

"– and we were dangerously close to the food table – oh my gosh, we're so lucky we didn't hit the cake – and then, well, James fell, and I went down too, but I tried to grab at something to stop us, and just ended up grabbing the decoration thing. Which then, obviously, broke." She looked incredibly apologetic.

"And that's… that's it?" Rose asked. She felt, not disappointed as such, but almost dissatisfied with Ebony's answer. Normally she would have been furious at James – firstly for getting ridiculously drunk, and then for causing a scene and making a mess – but compared to what she _had_ been expecting, it was a huge relief.

How very anticlimactic. And yet, it didn't make sense…

"I'm so sorry, Rose, we can clear it up –"

"You're not hurt, are you?" Bobbin interjected, concerned mother that she was.

"N-no," Ebony said, slightly fazed. "No, it was just an accident. Nobody got hurt – we can clean it up."

Rose looked around the group in a daze. Not that she wasn't hugely relieved that James wasn't lying dead at her feet, but that had _not_ been what she'd expected. Lily's vision had been so clear, and she'd seemed so certain.

Could it really be, then, that the vision had been incorrect? Or had, somehow, they managed to evade fate? Perhaps what Lily had seen had merely been one of several paths of fate they could travel down at the wedding, and not a sure thing. Perhaps none of Lily's 'prophecies' had been sure things – it had just been extremely coincidental that they'd all come true.

Rose could not believe their luck. In fact, it seemed too good to be true.

Hermione emerged into the clearing next to Rose, panting heavily, clearly having rushed there, and now out of breath as a result. There was a sense of frantic urgency about her. Rose's heart sank.

Hers and Lily's eyes locked across the gathering of people, most of whom were still looking down at James and the mess around him in shock, others now looking to Hermione with concerned expressions. Rose and Lily shared a moment of silent, worried communication, both of them with wide eyes, slightly parted lips, and suddenly pale faces. This was it. Everything was falling into place. Lily's prophecy was coming true – this was what she'd seen.

"Mum, what it is?" Rose asked quietly, terrified of the answer.

Hermione caught her breath, pain persisting in her eyes. She looked at her daughter, hesitated for a moment, and then said in a breathless voice, "He's dead."

"No, he's not!" Rose wildly denied, looking down at James in case he'd suddenly dropped dead since she'd last checked. James certainly looked dazed, but he was very much alive, she desperately thought. "Look at him, he's fine, he just –"

"What?" Hermione looked down at James in confusion, as though only just noticing he was on the floor. "No, no, it's not that. It's just" – she gulped, and Rose could have sworn she felt her own heart stop – "you remember when I said your father and I might have to leave tonight?"

Rose nodded meekly, still clutching at Scorpius' hand for support.

"But then we didn't – we told him to go it alone – and we thought it would be fine. We thought it was all under control – that there would be enough people to handle it, and –"

"What are you talking about?"

"I just got a letter," Hermione said, still quiet and dazed, as though she couldn't quite believe it. "There was a raid. We severely underestimated it all – but there were so many more than we thought – all those dark wizards attacking, and –"

"Who, Mum?" Rose interrupted, throat dry, body cold.

"It's Kingsley," Hermione said.

At which point James threw up, causing people to leap back and shriek. Everybody gathered around, particularly those at the front, stared down at him, sincere, shocked, and a little disgusted.

But Rose ignored him, still looking to her mother with desperation.

Hermione spoke in a quiet, serious voice, echoing her earlier words. "He's dead."

Rose wanted to do several things. She wanted to throw her head back in dizzying relief; she wanted a drink to calm her overworked nerves; she wanted to burst into laughter and cry out with complete and utter _joy_.

But above all else, she wanted to make absolute certain that she understood.

"Kingsley Shacklebolt," Rose asked in a measure voice, "is dead?"

Hermione nodded sadly. "His was the only fatality – we probably couldn't have done anything if we'd been there."

Rose forced her eyes shut, breathing out deeply. Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minister of Magic, had been a close and dear friend of her family's, and he and Rose had always been fond of each other. When she'd been much younger, before she'd even started Hogwarts, Rose would eagerly ask him about his work in the Ministry, and it had been Kingsley who'd told her wonderful tales of Hogwarts and various wizarding adventures he and/or her parents had embarked on – he'd even given her newspaper clippings on Professor Bobbin when she'd first been appointed as Headmistress, as a pre-teen Rose had been eager to know anything and everything she could about the admirable woman before finally meeting her.

And though his loss shook her, as it would a lot of the wizarding community, especially those in attendance at the wedding, Rose could not pretend she wasn't hugely relieved. Oh, _Merlin_ , was she relieved!

All that fear – the constant dread and paranoia, building up to the moment she'd just experienced – was _over_. And, oh, as far as outcomes went, Rose couldn't have been more content. Of course she was deeply saddened by Kingsley's death (preferring that no deaths in any circumstances had occurred), and she would certainly grieve him when the time was right, but she could not pretend that she wasn't overjoyed that someone she'd been more close to hadn't lost their life that night.

And not actually at her wedding.

They hadn't evaded Lily's vision at all, as Rose had briefly thought. Oh no, it had come true – every last detail – but it had been, as Hermione and Scorpius had tried to convince her, taken completely out of context. It had not been the person whose body lay at their feet, everybody gathered around in shock – whom Rose now knew to be James – whose life had been at stake. It just so happened, that at that time, an external message had found its way through.

A death had occurred that night, but not at the wedding.

Rose leaned into Scorpius' arm, emotionally exhausted from all the built-up worry, but deliriously ecstatic that she'd gotten it so wrong. Scorpius mistook her relief as sadness, holding her close to him and saying in a soothing voice, "Hey, it'll be alright."

"I know," she sighed, truly believing it.

A sombre atmosphere had descended over the gathering, as people took in the news of the Minister's death. Bobbin, in particular, looked distraught. She too had been close with Kingsley, Rose remembered. It had been him who'd posed the idea of her becoming Headmistress of Hogwarts to her, encouraging and defending her when people had questioned his judgment or her competence.

"Are you okay, Mum?" Rose gently asked Hermione, still enfolded in Scorpius' arms.

Her mother gave a slight nod. "I'm… devastated," she admitted. "But Kingsley was a good man. He led a good life."

"We should toast him," Scorpius suggested.

Hermione smiled. "That would be nice."

As people adjusted to the news, and got over the shock of James' little tumble, the group started to break apart, people re-engaging in conversation, the wedding festivities picking up once more.

Lily approached Rose, her face pale with apology. "Rose, I'm so sorry. I mean… all that worrying. That was all _my_ fault. It's just, when I saw it in my mind, I honestly thought –"

"Lily, it's fine," Rose assured her. "You couldn't have possibly known."

"But it was only because _I'd_ so wrongly misinterpreted it. I never should have told you somebody was going to die. Everybody else was right – I hadn't _seen_ anybody die – I shouldn't have formed such a drastic conclusion. I should have considered how it could have been taken out of context."

"But Lily, none of us could possibly have predicted what would happen," Scorpius said gently. "It was logical for you to assume what you did, and I mean, at the end of the day, what harm was done?"

"B-but all that worrying, and –"

"That was my fault, Lily, not yours," Rose said. "I was too overdramatic about it. But Scorpius is right – what harm was done? I've had a truly wonderful day, in spite of all my worrying and obsessiveness."

Lily looked slightly relieved at her cousin's assurances.

Hugo came skidding back over to Rose at that moment, a glass of water in his hand. "Sorry it took so long," he panted. "It's just –"

Rose took the glass from her brother's hand, looked down at James, lying on the floor amongst the shattered glass and his own vomit, and upended the contents over him with an air of deep satisfaction.

* * *

As the delightful (and almost disastrous) wedding of Rose and Scorpius drew to a close, the newlyweds found themselves in a position all too familiar. Swaying on the dancefloor, safe in her husband's arms, Rose had never felt more at peace, and more at home, than she did with her head pressed against Scorpius' beating heart, one arm snaked around his waist, whilst the other hand was clasped in his own.

Surrounding them were all number of couples, locked in similar romantic embraces. From the corner of her eye alone, Rose could see Bobbin and Roberts, Sam and Janey, James and Ebony, and even her parents. All beautifully happy in love, stolen smiles shared with each other, like sharing a secret only they knew.

Almost each couple would be embarking on a new chapter in their lives together, Rose thought. Bobbin and Roberts were having a child of their own, Sam and Janey were apparently getting married, James and Ebony would perhaps consider having children of their own too (though Rose wasn't so convinced – still, it was a nice thought), and Ron and Hermione had acquired a son-in-law!

As for Rose and Scorpius, they were starting their next chapter too. Married, and living together for the first time, both were equally as excited as the other, desperate to see what happiness and even what challenges the future had to offer.

"So," Scorpius said brightly, "the wedding was a complete disaster then."

Rose rolled her eyes. "It was _not."_

"Ah, but almost everything on your worst-case-scenario list did, in fact, come true," he reminded her with a smirk.

"And thank God it did," Rose said. "This day would have been horribly boring if it hadn't!"

"So you're not upset then?"

"Scorpius, how could I be?" she asked, genuinely surprised at such a question. "I just got to marry my childhood sweetheart in front of my loved ones – loved ones who once hated the thought of us being together – and now I get to start the rest of my life with him. I honestly couldn't be happier."

Scorpius smiled at her assurance, looking proud and happy himself. "I really wanted to give you everything you wanted, Rose – I know I never made things easy."

"Don't be ridiculous," she dismissed. "I wouldn't change a single thing about today. I wouldn't change a single thing about our whole relationship."

"What did I do to deserve you?" he murmured, resting his head on top of hers as they continued to sway.

"The same thing I did to deserve you," Rose replied coyly. "Fell in love. Deeply and beautifully. Despite the difficulties; despite the insecurities."

"And I will do for the rest of my life," he vowed. "Love you, that is. I couldn't possibly fall any more for you than I already have."

"Me too," Rose promised.

Sighing happily, the couple reflected on the journey to the altar. The engagement alone had been stressful enough as it was. But Rose could honestly say, even with everything that had happened, which she may have deemed problematic at the time, and even though theirs had had significantly more drama that most other couples', her wedding day had well and truly been the happiest day of her life. And she wouldn't change a single thing for all the world.

It was not the end of their worries. Futures were still unclear, more so for others in their lives rather than Rose and Scorpius themselves. There was now a vacancy for the Minister of Magic, and likely Headmaster of Hogwarts too; Serephina and Deneb dating certainly provided a complicated dynamic; Rose still felt guilty and uncertain about just what was going on in Mason's heart and mind; Janey and Sam's engagement seemed a little _too_ hasty; Ebony was once more feeling rejected by Bobbin; Rose still didn't know what she was going to do with regards to her career.

And she was still irritatingly in the dark about the whole Albus-Taylor thing!

But those worries were not to be dwelled on. Not on that night of all nights. And when they were to be faced, Rose knew she would firmly have Scorpius by her side. And somehow that was everything.

Just as their engraved wedding bands read: _Always and Forever._

Rose lifted her head from Scorpius' chest to look him in the eyes, the blue finding the green. "It really was a beautiful day," she insisted.

"And you," Scorpius said, smiling at her with true endearment, "really are the most beautiful bride I've ever seen."

He brought his head down to hers in order to kiss her, Rose responding on impulse. It was not unusual for Rose and Scorpius to share a kiss, and yet each one made the other feel as weightless and giddy as when they'd been teenagers – that same passionate spark, that same feeling of bliss, as though it was their first.

Rose brought her hands up to wind into his hair, the silkiness of it soft and familiar to her fingers, whilst Scorpius' moved to wrap around her waist. Eyes closed, romantically entwined, blissfully lost in their own slice of heaven, both minds began to wander…

"Rose Malfoy," Scorpius murmured.

"Scorpius Weasley," Rose murmured back.

"May I take you to bed?"

"How very formal and polite of you," Rose teased, breaking the kiss, but still embracing him in the same way.

"I'm respecting you as the gentleman I am, and as the husband your father wants me to be."

Rose glanced over his shoulder. "Hmm," she considered. "Will my dad see?"

"God, I hope not."

"No," she snorted. "I meant, if we leave, we're going to look really suspicious if we sneak out, and my dad will know that –"

"Rose, it's our wedding night," Scorpius pointed out. "We're not sneaking around – I'll happily take you up into my arms and announce to the whole ballroom that I'm taking my bride to bed!"

"Scorpius, if you do that I will _not_ be sleeping with you at all tonight."

"Ah, I wouldn't dare," he teased.

Rose looked around the ballroom. It was late into the evening, with few guests even remaining in the ballroom. People had either gone home or retreated to their rooms in the hotel for the night. "Should we say goodnight to people?" Rose asked uncertainly. "Or should we just… go?"

Scorpius looked around the ballroom too, considering it. "I vote we just leg it."

Rose paused for a moment. "Yeah, let's do it," she decided, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the door. Scorpius went very willingly.

As the couple burst through the doors, laughing like lovesick teenagers, just as they had done following the ceremony, they very nearly ran headfirst into Albus. The Potter boy stopped as the couple came tearing into the corridor, an expression of alarm on his face, which quickly slipped into a smirk.

"Ah," he said wickedly, "where are _you_ guys off to?"

"Goodnight, Al!" Rose yelled, dragging Scorpius past.

"Have fun!" Albus yelled back sarcastically.

Rounding the corner, Scorpius was forced to skid to a halt when he realised that Rose had stopped. "What is it?" he asked worriedly, already out of breath.

Stood in her wedding dress, Rose smiled coyly. "You can 'take me up into your arms' now," she told him.

"What," Scorpius asked, "even up the stairs?"

"I'm not that heavy!"

Scorpius came towards her with a grin on his face, their gazes locked. Easily, and wordlessly, he pulled her up into his arms, train draping down onto the floor. "Shall we?"

After running up the stairs, forgetting which number the bridal suite was, struggling so much to get the key card to work that Rose had snatched it out of his hands and done it herself (whilst still in his arms), and almost hitting her head on the doorframe on the way in, Scorpius carried his bride over the threshold.

"Scorpius, _calm down_ ," Rose jokingly ordered, after he'd practically dropped her onto the bed, and then run back to slam the door.

"Rose, I'm but a man," he said breathlessly. "Now," he said, unwinding his bowtie from his neck, and coming towards her, "about this dress: just how valuable is it?"

"Scorpius, if you rip it I'll kill you."

"Ah," he grinned, "a challenge."

Beautiful, sophisticated, and deeply romantic, Rose and Scorpius' relationship behind closed doors was another thing all together. Clothes strewn on the floor (though she'd made Scorpius hang the dress up carefully), Rose was extremely grateful that Ebony had leant her the garter…

"Wow, I'd forgotten about that tattoo," Scorpius said, impressed. Rose's inky constellation of Scorpius on her lower ribcage was a beautiful contrast to the paleness of her skin.

"Mhmm, not as impressive as yours though," Rose said, stroking the much larger and colourful tattoo that was inked onto Scorpius' shoulder. "You're _so_ lucky we ended up together," she teased.

"I wouldn't have had it removed even if we hadn't," Scorpius assured her. "It was too important to me."

"That's so sweet," Rose swooned.

"Rose, just for tonight, please don't think of me as sweet." Scorpius looked too excited for his own good. "Think of me as wildly sexy."

"Oh, believe me, I do that _every_ night."

As Scorpius began to shower her in kisses, Rose sighed with contentment, that feeling of blissful relief returning. A beautiful end to what had been a beautiful day. She was really married. At long last, she was married!

"Oh my God," Rose gasped (and not in a good way), something _very_ unusual catching her eye as her gaze had drifted south.

"What?" Scorpius asked in a panic, lifting his head sharply. It wasn't like that was the first time they'd engaged in such activities. There shouldn't have been any surprises!

Rose's look of shock had quickly changed to one of immeasurable amusement. "Turn around, Scorpius," she ordered, her whole face having lit up with glee.

Scorpius was more than a little alarmed. "Why, what are you going to do to me?"

"Just do it!"

He sat up, feeling concerned and incredibly self-conscious. Eyeing his wife suspiciously, whilst she continued to grin like an idiot, Scorpius did as she asked. When she burst into uproarious laughter, he looked back in confused apprehension. "Rose!"

"Oh my _God_ ," she practically yelled, laughing so much that she'd started to wheeze, and a visible tear was forming in her eye.

Scorpius felt put out. God, it was demoralising! "Rose _,_ " he whined, " _what_ is so funny?"

Struggling for breath, she managed to say, "You – you – you remember your stag night, right?"

"Yes," Scorpius said irritably, sulky because he didn't see what was so funny, "what about it?"

"You remember how you ended up in that tattoo parlour but none of you could find any tattoos afterwards?"

Scorpius' heart skipped a beat. "Yes," he said slowly, a feeling of dread having engulfed him.

"Oh, Scorpius," Rose snorted, never more deeply amused in her whole life, "are you aware that you have _'James'_ tattooed on your left arse cheek?"

 **The End**

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_ _Yes, that is how I chose to end this beautiful and romantic story…_

 _Thank you, guys, for all the support you've given this story. I know it wasn't nearly as long as 'A Forbidden Love' (but then again, the wedding fic was only supposed to be a one-shot initially, and look how that turned out XD), but it's been a fun little journey over the past couple of months, so thanks for sharing in that with me. It was really fun for me to re-explore the characters, in their adulthood now, rather than their teenage years. (I would also like to apologise for the more, ah, mature nature of some elements of this story XD)_

 _Like I said at the end of AFL, I don't know if that was the ending you were expecting (or, indeed, the whole wedding), or the one you wanted, but that's the one you got ;)_

 _I don't know if you're irritated or relieved with the cop-out on the whole 'someone dying' thing. Believe me, as soon as I first started thinking of ideas for the wedding fic, I thought 'I must kill someone!' (because that's the kind of writer I apparently am XD). Problem was, I couldn't decide who, exactly. I wanted it to be shocking, so it had to be a main-ish character - Mason, James, and Ebony, were all serious contenders at one point. But then, ultimately, I decided killing someone off at a wedding, in any context, was going to create a very morbid atmosphere, and I honestly wanted this to be a very light, comedic, and romantic story - also, I couldn't bear to put ScoRose though that, nor take the lives of any of my characters! So even before starting writing, I knew I wasn't really going to kill off someone :)_

 _Some of the things I threw into the story without much context are ideas I've been playing around with for a while, and just wanted to test the waters. Anything vague and unexplained will be resolved and/or put into context in the many other spin-offs I have planned (Taylor/Albus, Mason, Sam/Janey's engagement, maybe some more Bobbin/Roberts, Serephina/Deneb and though they weren't featured in this story, Piper and Evangeline etc.)_

 _There won't be any other spin-off stories this year (2015), but I'm all set for 2016, don't you worry. I can't promise what will come, and in what order, and they won't necessarily be in chronological order - there are still things I'd like to explore between the end of AFL and this wedding fic, after all. BUT, one thing I can say - keep your eyes pealed, as I'm planning to publish the start of my Sam and Janey multichap spin-off sometime in January, which will be titled 'Honeymoon Avenue.' (Yep, named and inspired by an Ariana Grande song XD) Which, even though it will revolve around Sam and Janey rather than Rose and Scorpius, will still heavily feature all the usual characters_

 _And that is all I really have to say for now!_

 _Thank you, once more, for being as supportive as you always are. It is an honour to share my stories with you and get such an encouraging response :) See you all in the new year!_

 _~ Ever_


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